Men's Basketball Erupts in Second Half Over Newbury

Chris Kendrick (@CKendrick86)

CHICOPEE, Mass. – The Elms College men's basketball throttled visiting Newbury College, 76-39, in a New England Collegiate Conference contest at Picknelly Arena Tuesday night.

The Blazers captured a 13-8 lead at the 13:35 mark following a three-pointer from junior guard Jerry Buchanon (Windsor, Conn.) and a layup from sophomore forward Conny Ihearahu (Largo, Md.). A pair of free throws from senior guard Kwame Thompson (Brockton, Mass.) pulled the Nighthawks within a possession, and a three-pointer from Newbury senior guard Mills Carrasco (Haverhill, Mass.) made it a one-point game, 17-16, with 9:15 on the clock. The Blazers built their lead over the next six minutes behind a 12-3 run, capped off by a three-pointer from Buchanon to stake Elms to a 29-19 advantage with 3:25 to play. Elms maintained a double-digit lead over the final minutes of the half, taking a 32-22 lead into halftime.

The Blazers kicked their offensive into gear in the second half, opening the frame on a 20-4 run spanning eight minutes, fueled by eight points from senior forward Kenny Lockett (Atlanta, Ga.), to capture a 52-26 advantage with 12:37 remaining. Elms pushed their lead to 30 points, 56-26, on a jumper from freshman forward Devonte Marshall (Springfield, Mass.) at the 10:54 mark. A stout Blazers defense kept the Nighthawks off the scoreboard for nearly ten minutes of action until a three-pointer from Newbury sophomore guard Ceejay Carter (Dorchester, Mass.) made it a 60-29 game with 8:43 to play. The Blazers outscored the Nighthawks, 16-10, to close out the contest, taking the 76-39 victory.

Lockett paced the Blazers with a game-high 15 points and eight rebounds. Buchanon tallied 14 points, while senior guard Piere Simpson (East Hartford, Conn.) chipped in eight points, six rebounds and two assists. Junior guard Tim Putnam (Windsor Locks, Conn.) and Ihearahu each added six points in the win.

Thompson led the Nighthawks with a team-high 13 points. Carrasco registered 12 points and five rebounds, and sophomore forward Kenny Ramos (Roxbury, Mass.) had seven points and four rebounds in the loss.

"I'm really proud of our whole team," said Elms College Head Coach Rob Southall. "We had a great team effort. We were focused, played great defense, and did a great job with their scorers. At the break, I talked about the difference between being good and being great. I thought we played good in the first half, but I thought we could be great in the second half if we were will to provide the effort it takes to be great. We jus tplayed harder in the second half, and executed our gameplan. We got some of our bench guys in there, and it's an opportunity for them to prove to me that they can be trusted and perform in those situations, so that if we do get into foul trouble, or other situation where I need players, I can have confidence in them. Thursday's game will be a tough game, and we'll need a full effort for 40 minutes."

The Blazers dominated the rebounding, 47-31, during the contest, with the Blazers bench outscoring 40-0. Elms connected on 47,8% (32-of-67) from the field, including 34.6% (9-of-26) from three-point range, and 50% (3-of-6) from the free throw line. Newbury shot 28.8% (15-of-52) from the floor, 15.8% (3-of-19) from three-point, and 54.5% (6-of-11) from the charity stripe.

Elms moves to 7-7 overall, and remain a perfect 6-0 in the NECC, while Newbury drops to 1-13, and 0-6 on the season. The Blazers return to action when they travel to Southern Vermont College Tuesday night for 7:00 p.m. tip. The Nighthawks travels to Lesley University Thursday night at 8:00 p.m.

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