Western New England Edges Men's Basketball in Home Opener

Chris Kendrick (@CKendrick86)

CHICOPEE, Mass. – The Elms College men's basketball team suffered an 82-77 setback to visiting Western New England College in a non-conference matchup at Picknelly Arena Tuesday night. The Blazers drop to 0-3 on the season, while the Golden Bears improve to 1-2.

The Golden Bears captured an early 11-4 lead, knocking down three three-pointers, including a pair from junior Mike Gelineau (Waltham, Mass.), in the opening four minutes of play. A three-pointer from Elms senior Jerry Buchanon (Windsor, Conn.) trimmed the Blazers deficit to 11-9, but five consecutive points from Gelineau regained a 16-9 lead for Western New England with 13:02 on the clock. The Blazers battled back with a 8-2 run, capped off by three free throws from senior Kadar Lynch (Springfield, Mass.), to make it an 18-17 game.  Golden Bears junior Daniel Silva (Seekonk, Mass.) netted eight straight points in less than two minutes to rebuild a 26-18 advantage for Western New England. The Blazers worked their deficit down to four points down the stretch, but a dunk in the lane from Western New England freshman Mikey Pettway (Bridgeport, Conn.) sent the Golden Bears into the break with a 44-38 lead.

The Blazers cut their deficit to one point in the opening minutes of the second half following a tip-in from Lynch and a three-pointer from senior Tim Putnam (Windsor Locks, Conn.), but a pair of free throws put the Golden Bears up 49-43 with 15:47 on the clock. A pair of free throws by Lynch knotted the score at 53-53, until Western New England pulled ahead for the next two minutes. Buchanon knocked down two free throws at the 7:25 mark to give the Blazers their first lead of the game, 61-59. The squads battled back-and-forth over the next five minutes, exchanging the lead five times and tying six times. Tied 75-75, the Golden Bears grabbed control behind free throws from Pettway, and then Elms turned the ball over on the following possession, forcing the Blazers to foul down the stretch. Western New England converted five-of-six free throws in the waning seconds to secure the 82-77 win.

Buchanon paced the Blazers with a team-high 24 points, a team-high five assists and two rebounds. Junior Conny Ihearahu (Largo, Md.) notched his second double-double of the season with 12 points and a game-high 10 rebounds. Lynch tallied 14 points and eight rebounds, while junior Symon Smith (Oklahoma City, Okla.) added 11 points, five rebounds and four assists.

The Golden Bears had four scorers in double figures, led by Gelineau with a game-high 28 points, shooting 5-of-11 from three-point range, with three rebounds. Pettway dished out a game-high eight assists with 15 points and five rebounds, while senior Zack Askew (Middletown, Conn.) had 14 points and six rebounds off the bench. Silva added 12 points and six rebounds in the win.

The Blazers outrebounded the Golden Bears, 41-34, while Western New England edged Elms in bench points, 32-13. The Blazers converted 41.4% (24-of-58) from the floor, including 42.9% (6-of-14) from three-point range, and 82.1% (23-of-28) from the free throw line. The Golden Bears shot 40% (22-of-55) from the field, 38.5% (10-of-26) from three-point, and 82.4% (28-of-34) from the foul line.

The Blazers will look to grab their first win when they return to action against Springfield College Thursday night at Picknelly Arena at 7:00 p.m. Western New England travels to Western Connecticut State Tuesday for a 7:00 p.m. tip.

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