Men's Basketball Defeats Anna Maria in Conference Play

PAXTON, MA - The Elms College Men's Basketball won their conference matchup against Anna Maria College on the road Thursday night.

BASICS
Score: Elms College 80 | Anna Maria College 66
Records: Blazers 5-20, 3-10 (GNAC) | Amcats 7-17, 2-11 (GNAC)

HOW IT HAPPENED

Graduate student Tahquell Cadle (Bridgeport, CT) and senior Teron Griffin (Harlem, NY) got things started for the Blazers, as the duo combined for the first 11 points of the game to give Elms an 11-0 lead. The Blazers jumped out to a big lead early, resulting from their outstanding defense and ability to finish at the rim. Junior Aaron Sanchez (the Bronx, NY) and senior Neilon Bridgeman (Brooklyn, NY) grabbed defensive rebounds and found themselves open on offense for easy layups as the Blazers jumped out to a 26-7 lead. Elms extended their lead out to 21 points, as Anna Maria had no answer for the Blazers on offense. Multiple Blazers hit easy jump shots and attacked the rim with ease. Junior Addison Phifer (Hadley, MA) hit a pair of threes for the Blazers to help extend their lead. Anna Maria chipped into the Elms lead a little bit, but the Blazers found themselves ahead 44-30 at halftime. 

The Amcats trimmed the Elms lead to ten points, but the pair of Cadle and Sanchez made sure Anna Maria did not get any closer. Sanchez played tough inside and Cadle got to his spots on offense. Anna Maria had no answer for them early on. A three-pointer from Griffin put the Blazers up by 22 points, as Elms found themselves cruising early on. For a good portion of the rest of the half, Elms controlled the pace of the game, limiting Anna Maria's scoring chances on offense. The Amcats couldn't get inside the paint for easy layups and didn't hit their shots, so Elms was able to get out and run on offense to maintain a double digit lead the whole game. Cadle had an all-around great game, as he dished out seven assists and stole the ball seven times on defense to go alongside with his 23 points. The Blazers early lead helped propel Elms to a 80-66 win, their fifth of the season. 

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

• Sanchez - 10 points, eight rebounds

• Cadle - 23 points, seven assists, seven steals

• Griffin- 13 points, eight rebounds

• Phifer - 10 points

UP NEXT: The Blazers will be away for their final regular season game on Tuesday, February 13 against Lasell University in Newton, MA at 4:00 P.M.

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