CAMBRIDGE, Mass. - Behind the efforts of four double-digit scorers, the Newbury College men's basketball team defeated Lesley University 61-55 to win their first New England Collegiate Conference game of the season.  The Nighthawks improved to 4-6 (1-0 NECC) while the Lynx dropped to 3-9 (0-2 NECC).

Newbury forward Kevin Cleveland (Lynn, Mass.) recorded a unique double-double, tallying game-highs in points with 17 and steals with 11, in the victory.  Cleveland also grabbed six rebounds.

Samuel Stanford (Somerville, Mass.), Husain Abdul-Ghaffar (Springfield, Mass.), and John Rowley Jr. (Hartford, Conn.) also chipped in offensively with 14, 11, and 10 points, respectively. 

Lesley was led by senior forward Malcolm Andrews (Medford, Mass.) whose 16 points and 10 rebounds were both team-highs.  Andrews, however, would foul out towards the end of the second half when the Lynx were mounting a comeback. 

The Nighthawks held a slim two-point advantage at halftime but were able to stretch their lead out to as large as 14 points with 6:17 remaining in the game. 

In the next five minutes, the Lesley was able to force five Newbury turnovers to get themselves back within three points.  The Nighthawks, however, hit crucial free throws down the stretch and held on for the victory. 

With the victory, Newbury has now won all four meetings with Lesley men's basketball.

Lesley will be back in action on Tuesday evening against Elms College starting at 8:00 pm.  Newbury will travel to Mitchell College on the same night starting at 7:00 pm.

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

Contact:          Rob Palardy
                        Sports Information Director
                        Lesley University
                        617.349.8627 (office)
                        617.349.8640 (fax)
                        rpalardy@lesley.edu