CAMBRIDGE, Mass. - In a North Atlantic Conference quarterfinal match up between Castleton State College and Lesley University, the Lynx defeated the Spartans 76-55 to move on to the semifinals to be played on Friday February 29, 2008.
Lesley's top scorer was senior captain Mark Stevens (Las Vegas, Nev.) who scored 21 points on 9-of-17 from the field including 3-of-6 from beyond the arc. Seventeen of his 21 points came in the first half. Stevens also added eight rebounds and three assists in the winning effort.
Also in double-figures for the Lynx were guards Joe Chatman (Boston, Mass.) and Zach Rocha (New Bedford, Mass.) who had 11 and 10 points, respectively. Chatman had a game-high eight assists, as well as two rebounds and two steals. Rocha, in just 16 minutes on the court, was 4-of-6 shooting from the floor and hit two of his three three-point attempts.
The Spartans' Richard Reilly (Manassas, Va.) had a team-high 14 points and also finished with five rebounds, two assists, and two steals as he played the entire 40 minutes. Junior guard Josh Howe (Randolph, Vt.) was the only other Castleton player in double-digit points as he netted 10 points in the loss. He also contributed by grabbing seven rebounds and tallied an assist and a steal.
Lesley kicked off the first two minutes of the game with a 10-0 run capped off by a Jesus Trejo (Methuen, Mass.) lay up. Trejo also had a solid game for the Lynx as he finished with seven points, 10 rebounds, three blocks, and a steal. Lesley increased their lead and went into halftime up 42-26.
In the second half, the Spartans offense was revived thanks to senior forward Chris Young (Narragansett, R.I.) who scored all nine of his points in the half. The lead was cut to just seven with 13:07 remaining in the game, but the Lynx were able to step up their defense. Time expired and Lesley was able to walk away with a home playoff victory.
With the loss, Castleton State College finishes their 2007-2008 season with a record of 15-11 (8-6 NAC). The win improved Lesley's standing to 11-15 (9-5 NAC) and helped them move on to face another quarterfinal winner on Friday evening.
To learn more about the Lesley University men's basketball team, please visit their website.