CHICOPEE, Mass. - The Lesley University men's basketball battled hard against Elms College in the North Atlantic Conference men's basketball championship but lost to the Blazers 72-65.  It was the first time any Lesley varsity team had reached a conference championship. 

In their final game in a Lynx uniform, senior captains Joe Chatman (Boston, Mass.) and Mark Stevens (Las Vegas, Nev.) finished with 16 and 12 points, respectively.  Chatman dished out six assists to his teammates, snatched three rebounds, and had one steal to complement his 16 points.  Stevens also tallied three rebounds, two assists, and two steals in the losing effort. 

The Blazers were led by Aswad Thomas (Hartford, Conn.) who finished 17 points, seven rebounds, four assists, and three assists.  Randy Hite (Hartford, Conn.) also finished in double-figures as he tallied 14 points, five rebounds, two assists and three steals.  With both of their efforts, Thomas and Hite received NAC All-Tournament honors with Thomas earning Tournament MVP.

The Lynx took the lead with just 3:31 remaining after a pair of free throws from Chatman.  Blazers guard Juan Galdon (Holyoke, Mass.) answered with a three-pointer on the next possession to put Elms back on top.  The three led to a 8-0 run by the Blazers to finish off the game.

With the loss, the Lynx finish off their 2007-2008 season with a 12-16 record.  Elms tied a school-record with 22 wins on the season and will now move on to the NCAA DIII tournament with the automatic qualifying bid.

To learn more about the Lesley University men's basketball team, please visit their website.