Men's Basketball Surges Past Newbury

Chris Kendrick (@CKendrick86)

CHICOPEE, Mass. – The Elms College men's basketball team visiting Newbury College, 83-71, in a New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) tilt at Picknelly Arena Tuesday night. The Blazers move to 13-10 overall and 11-3 in conference play, while Newbury sits at 1-13 in the league, and 2-21 on the year.

Prior to the contest, the Blazers recognized their departing senior Jerry Buchanon (Windsor, Conn.), who became the third player in Elms men's basketball history to eclipse the 1,400-point plateau during the contest.

The Nighthawks jumped to a 9-0 lead in the opening four minutes of play, behind seven straight points from sophomore Louis Neals (Manchester, Conn.). A jumper from Newbury freshman Kyle Joseph (Roxbury, Mass.) handed the Nighthawks a 14-4 advantage with 15:12 on the clock. The Blazers battled back with a 13-5 run, featuring six points from Buchanon to pull within two points, 19-17, but the Nighthawks rebuilt a 27-17 lead with an 8-0 run with 9:13 to play. Elms whittled the lead to 31-27 with a 10-4 run over the next four minutes of play. Three straight buckets from Buchanon capped an 8-4 run by Elms to close the half and send the game into the intermission knotted at 35-35.

Trailing 37-35 after the opening possession of the frame, Buchanon canned a deep three-pointer at the 17:45 mark to give the Blazers their first lead of the contest, 38-37. Elms took control of the scoreboard with a 13-3 run over the next three-plus minutes, powered by three-point efforts by junior Conny Ihearahu (Largo, Md.) and sophomore Keeshaun King (Jacksonville, Fla.) to pace the Nighthawks 51-40. The Nighthawks remained close with a 9-3 run, behind five points from junior Joshua Oliver (Poughkeepsie, N.Y.), but the Blazers responded behind five straight points by junior Symon Smith (Oklahoma City, Okla.) to remain ahead 59-50. Elms maintained a double-digit lead for majority of the final ten minutes with a reverse layup from Buchanon at the 3:07 mark giving the Blazers their largest lead of the game, 79-62. The Nighthawks outscored the Blazers, 9-4, down the stretch as Elms fended off Newbury to capture the 83-71 victory.

The Blazers had four scorers reach double figures in points, led by a game-high 31 points from Buchanon, shooting 12-of-22 from the floor, with a career-high 10 rebounds, four assists and three steals. Smith tallied 14 points and four rebounds, while Ihearahu and junior Trifon Bish (St. Catherine, Jamaica) registered 12 points apiece.

Newbury matched Elms with four scorers in double digits, paced by 15 points, seven rebounds and five assists from Neals. Joseph added 14 points, eight rebounds and two blocks, and junior Ceejae Carter (Dorchester, Mass.) also netted 14 points. Senior Dallas Serrano (Valley Stream, N.Y.) dished out a game-high five assist with 10 points and five rebounds.

Elms edged Newbury on the glass, 43-36, during the contest. The Blazers converted 49.2% (32-of-65) from the field, including 41.2% (7-of-17) from three-point range, and 54.5% (12-of-22) from the free throw line. The Nighthawks shot 40% (24-of-60) from the floor, 30.8% (8-of-26) from three-point, and 75% (15-of-20) from the foul stripe.

The Blazers will be back in action with a conference road trip to Southern Vermont for a 7:00 p.m. tip Thursday night. Newbury hosts Mitchell College in conference play Thursday at 7:00 p.m.

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