CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – Lesley University senior Justin Rosa (East Brunswick, N.J.) knocked down a pair of free throws with 10:02 remaining in the second half and became just the third player in program history to record 1,000 points in his career, but his celebratory day was spoiled as Becker College raced to a 61-45 win in New England Collegiate Conference action this evening at the Nicholas Athletic Center.
Rosa scored a team-best 12 points and now sits a 1,002 career points as he joins John Sanchez '12 and Jesus Trejo '11 as the only members of the 1,000-point club in Lesley men's basketball history.
The senior went 6-of-8 from the line and added seven rebounds to his line in the loss. Junior Corbin Polec (Okemos, Mich.) came off the bench to score 11 points while fellow junior Chris Barletta (Valrico, Fla.) chipped in with 10 points, four rebounds, and a pair of assists. Sophomore Jacob DiDomenico (N. Providence, R.I.) added five points and led the Lynx with nine rebounds and three blocked shots.
Becker junior Scott Dulaire (Bloomfield, Conn.) registered a double-double with a game-high 20 points and 12 boards while going 6-of-13 from the floor and 7-of-10 from the charity stripe. Senior Donovin Ford-Hayes (Windsor Locks, Conn.) added 15 points of six rebounds for the guests while classmate David Maturah (Windsor Locks, Conn.) finished with nine points and seven rebounds.
The Lynx led early as triples from Casey Blanchard (Bernardston, Mass.) and Polec gave the hosts a 15-11 edge with 6:47 to go in the first half. Becker responded with a 7-2 streak that put them ahead 18-17 before rolling into the break with a 25-22 lead.
The Hawks quickly extended their lead to ten points after the half as a Jessy Michaud (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) hit from deep to give the guests a 37-27 advantage. Later in the half, a pair of Rosa free throws cut the lead to six points, 49-43, but Becker held the Lynx to just one bucket over the final six minutes of play as they closed out the game on a 12-2 run to capture the 61-45 victory.
Becker held the advantage down low as they out-rebounded the Lynx by a 48-37 margin and held a 24-14 edge in points in the paint.
Both teams will be back in action on Monday. Lesley will play host to Elms College at 8:00p while Becker will welcome Wheelock College at 6:00p.