Blazer Men Fall Short Against ENC, 68-56

CHICOPEE, Mass. – The Elms College men's basketball team couldn't convert a three-point halftime advantage into a win on Saturday, falling 68-56 to Eastern Nazarene College in New England Collegiate Conference play.

The Blazers held a slim, 31-28, lead at the break and clung to a one-possession lead for the opening minutes of the second half. But after trailing 32-29, Eastern Nazarene used an 11-2 run to take the lead for good.

Nikolas Brown (Wellington, Fla.) led Elms (3-13, 2-6 NECC) with 12 points and eight rebounds. Justin Feliciano (Springfield, Mass.) added 11 points, two rebounds and two assists for the Blazers, and D.J. Edelen (Prince George, Va.) scored nine points and added two steals. Tyler Barney (Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.) also finished with nine points and two steals off the bench.

Jacob Waldroop (Newland, N.C.) led ENC (8-9, 5-3 NECC) with 17 points and seven rebounds. Garrett Crandell (Bristol, Tenn.) scored 13 points and blocked two shots for the Lions, and Josh Rice (Hanson, Mass.) added 11 points.

ENC shot slightly better than Elms, hitting 42.6 percent from the field while the Blazers shot 40.8 percent. The Lions also attempted five more shots than Elms after holding a 36-33 advantage on the glass and winning the turnover battle 24-19. ENC attempted twice as many free throws as Elms, going 14-for-26 (53.8 percent) at the line while Elms converted 10-of-13 (76.9 percent).

Both teams return to action on Jan. 22 as Elms will host Mitchell College at 5:00 p.m. and Eastern Nazarene will host Southern Vermont at 7:30 p.m.