Men's Basketball Rolls Past Wheelock

Chris Kendrick (@CKendrick86)

BOSTON, Mass. - The Elms College men's basketball squad registered an 89-68 victory over host Wheelock College in the Blazers New England Collegiate Conference opener at Brunelli Court, on the campus of Pine Manor College, Thursday night.

The Wildcats captured a 7-1 lead over Elms in the opening four minutes of play, fueled by seven points from sophomore forward Anthony Williams (White Plains, N.Y.). The Blazers rallied back with a 12-5 run, powered by six points from junior forward Kadar Lynch  (Springfield, Mass.), to take their first lead, 13-12, with 10:54 remaining in the half. Tied 17-17, Elms began to separate from the Wildcats with a 22-7 run over the next nine minutes, and the Blazers eventually took a 41-29 lead into halftime.

The Blazers maintained their offensive momentum in the second half, preventing the Wildcats from cutting their deficit into single digits as they managed a 10-point margin three times in the half. A three-pointer from Wheelock sophomore guard Nicholas Fenton (East Hartford, Conn.) made it a 63-53 game with 9:02 to play, but Elms pulled away for good with a 16-4 run, capped off by back-to-back buckets from Lynch and junior guard Jerry Buchanon (Windsor, Conn.), to extended their lead to 79-57 with 4:19 remaining. The Wildcats edged the Blazers, 11-10, in scoring in the final four minutes, but Elms cruised to an 89-68 win.

Lynch netted a season-high 23 points, shooting 11-of-14 from the floor, with nine rebounds and three blocks. Senior forward Kenny Lockett (Atlanta, Ga.) recorded his first double-double of the season with a game-high 10 rebounds and six points. Buchanon talled 16 points with four rebounds and four assists, while junior guard Tim Putnam (Windsor Locks, Conn.) had eight points and sophomore guard Conny Ihearahu (Largo, Md.) added seven points, three rebounds and two block.

Elms dominated the rebounding battle, 40-22, during the contest. The Blazers shot a season-high 60.9% (39-of-64) from the field, including 42.9% (3-of-7) from three-point range, and 61.5% (8-of-13) from the free throw line. The Wildcats connected on 44.3% (27-of-61) of theiir field goals, including 22.2% (4-of-18) from three-point, and 83.3% (10-of-12) from the foul line.

With the win, the Blazers improve to 2-5 on the season and 1-0 in NECC play. while Wheloock falls to 1-5, and 0-1 overaal. Elms will return to action with a road trip to Mitchell College Saturday afternoon at 3:30 p.m. Wheelock travels to New Hampshite for a non-conference game at 7:00 p.m.

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