Smith Registers 1,000th Career Point In Season Finale At Lesley

Chris Kendrick (@CKendrick86)

BROOKLINE, Mass. – Elms College senior Symon Smith (Oklahoma City, Okla.) become the 10^th player in men's basketball program history to amass 1,000 career points as the Blazers fell to host Lesley University, 87-69, in their 2016-17 season finale Saturday evening. The Blazers wrap the campaign with a 4-21 mark, and a 4-12 record in the New England Collegiate Conference (NECC), while the Lynx improve to 9-7 in the NECC, and 15-10 on the season.

Smith opened the contest with back-to-back three-pointers for the Blazers, but the Lynx responded with a 12-2 run, paced by seven points from senior Pierre St. Simon (Farmingdale, N.Y.), to grab a 15-8 lead. The Blazers clawed back behind five points by senior Trifon Bish (St. Catherine, Jamaica) to cut the deficit to 16-15, and then a pair of free throws from Smith pulled Elms even at 22-22 with 9:22 to play. Five straight points from freshman DeAngelo Cousar (Bowie, Md.) handed the Blazers a 27-24 advantage, but the Lynx answered from long range, connecting on a trio of three-pointers to regain a 35-31 lead. Six points from sophomore Xeo Golding (Windermere, Fla.) pushed the Lynx lead to 45-36, but a three-point play from Smith closed the gap to 47-39 at the half.

Lesley came out strong in the second half, using an 8-0 run to expand their gap to 55-39. Smith knocked down two more treys to work down the deficit, 59-47, but seven consecutive points from junior Marquise Johnson (Hampton, Va.) sparked an 8-0 run to develop a 68-47 advantage for the Lynx. Smith netted 16 straight points for the Blazers during a 10-minute span of the second half, but back-to-back three-pointers from Lesley senior Devon Mayo (Newport News, Va.) gave Lynx their largest lead of the contest, 87-65, at the 1:51 mark. Senior Conny Ihearahu (Largo, Md.) and freshman Jared Kyle (Plantation, Fla.) added late buckets for Elms as they fell to the Lynx, 87-69.

Smith netted the second-most points in a game in program history with 40 points, adding seven rebounds and three steals. Ihearahu grabbed a team-high 10 rebounds with eight points, while Cousar and Bish scored seven points apiece.

The Lynx had five scorers in double figures, led by a team-high 19 points, six rebounds and five assists. St. Simon had 17 points, six rebounds and a game-high six assists, while sophomore Joey Martin (Melbourne, Fla.) posted a double-double with 11 points and a game-high 11 rebounds. Golding chipped in 14 points, and Johnson had 12 points, eight rebounds and five assists in the win.

The Lynx controlled the rebounding category, 53-27, during the contest. The Blazers connected on 41.3% (26-of-63) from the floor, including 28% (7-of-25) from three-point range, and 83.3% (10-of-12) from the foul line. Lesley shot 47.3% (35-74) from the field, 33.3% (10-of-30) from three-point range, and 58.3% (7-of-12) from the free throw stripe.

The Blazers have concluded play for the 2016-17 season. Lesley will head to the NECC Championship tournament as the third-seed and will host Regis in the First Round Tuesday night.

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