Buchanon Leads Men's Basketball Over Daniel Webster

Chris Kendrick (@CKendrick86)

CHICOPEE, Mass. – Junior guard Jerry Buchanon (Windsor, Conn.) poured in a career-high 33 points as the Elms College men's basketball team rallied in the second half to defeat visiting Daniel Webster, 78-72, in a non-conference contest at Picknelly Arena Thursday night.

The Eagles raced to an early 15-7 lead in the opening minutes of the half behind seven points from sophomore guard Angelo Adon (Silver Springs, Md.). Elms erased a 17-7 deficit on nine consecutive points from freshman guard Keeshaun King (Jacksonville, Fla.) to knot the game at 19-19 with less than ten minutes to play in the half. Leading 25-24 at the 5:59 mark, the Eagles built a cushion with a 7-2 run to take a 32-26 lead. Daniel Webster took a 36-32 advantage into halftime.

Elms erupted offensively to start the second half, with junior guard Jerry Buchanon (Windsor, Conn.) knocking down three straight three-pointers to hand the Blazers their first lead since the beginning of the first half, 43-41. With 12:13 to play, Buchanon knocked down his fifth three-pointer of the half, and drew a foul, to complete a four-point play, giving the Blazers a double-digit lead, 56-46. Elms took their largest lead of the half, 61-50, on a free throw from sophomore forward Conny Ihearahu (Largo, Md.) with 9:13 remaining. The Eagles battled back with an 8-2 run to trim their deficit to 64-59 as the clock ticked under six minutes to play. Adon connected on a three-pointer to pull Daniel Webster to within two possessions, 70-66. Elms converted a perfect 10-of-10 free throws down the stretch to fend over the Eagles rally, securing the 78-72 victory.

"I thought we played with fire a little bit tonight," said Elms College Head Coach Rob Southall. "We didn't come out with the intensity and the focus we needed to from the start. We thought we could turn it on and off when we wanted to, but we are working on coming and playing hard for the full 40 minutes. We had a couple guys come in and play hard tonight, which shifted the momentum for us. I thought it started with Piere [Simpson], he guarded the ball hard and the guys fed off him. I thought Keeshaun [King] did a great job when he came in and played tough, and Sirvaughn [Hobdy] did an excellent job too. When those three guys' intensity levels picked up, everyone else's levels went up. In the first half we were hesitant with our shots, but we came out in the second half with more confidence and let them fly. Jerry [Buchanon] did a great job persevering tonight, he didn't play great in the first half, but stayed confident and played aggressive in the second half. Mitchell is going to be a tough game. They are a completely new team from when we played them earlier this season. They have two new players for the second semester, including the reigning Player of the Year, Josh Forde, so it's going to be a tough battle and I'm glad it's at our place."

Buchanon led all scorers with 33 points, shooting 10-of-21 from the floor with a career-high seven three-pointers. Senior forward Kenny Lockett (Atlanta, Ga.) and King each netted 13 points for the Blazers, while senior guard Piere Simpson (East Hartford, Conn.) tallied 10 points, five rebounds and two assists.

The Eagles had four scorers reach double figures in points, paced by Adon with a team-high 21 points and five rebounds. Junior guard Michael Campbell (Mount Vernon, N.Y.) had 15 points and four board, and junior Khial Watson (Ann Arbor, Mich.) added 12 points off the bench. Sophomore forward Shawn Fenton (South River, N.J) recorded 11 points and six rebounds in the loss.

Daniel Webster edged the Blazers on the glass, 35-30, during the contest, while Elms converted 21 points off Eagle turnovers. The Blazers connected on 50% (27-of-54) of their attempts from the field, including a season-high 60% (9-of-15) from three-point range, and 78.9% (15-of-19) from the foul line. Daniel Webster matched Elms from the floor with a 50% (27-of-54) clip, 33.3% (5-of-15) from three-point, and 61.9% (13-of-21) from the free throw stripe.

The Blazers move to 8-8 overall, and 7-1 in NECC play, while Daniel Webster sits at 6-10, and 3-5 on the season. Elms returns to the court when they host Mitchell College Saturday afternoon at 2:00 p.m. The Eagles travel to Regis College Saturday for a 1:00 p.m. tip.

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