CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – Becker College sophomore Samuel Durodola (Rosedale, N.Y.) scored 17 of his game-high 24 points in the second half to lead the visiting Hawks past Lesley University 68-61 in New England Collegiate Conference men's basketball action this afternoon at the Nicholas Athletics Center.
Durodola finished 10-of-12 from the field on the day and pulled down eight rebounds as his explosive second half helped erase a five-point halftime deficit to lift Becker to their second NECC win of the season. The Hawks improve to 5-6 on the year and a perfect 2-0 in conference play with the win.
Lesley junior Devon Mayo (Newport News, Va.) powered the offense for the hosts, leading the Lynx with 20 points and eight rebounds. Mayo was hot from deep as he set a new career-high with three triples on the day. The Lynx slip to 1-11 overall and 0-3 in the NECC with the setback.
Lesley opened play with back-to-back three points to open an early six point edge forcing a Becker timeout just 1:10 into play. After the timeout, the Becker offense kicked into gear as a Durodola layup capped a 14-2 run over the next four minutes of play to stake a 14-8 lead.
The Lynx would punch back with 14-2 streak of their own to reclaim a 22-16 advantage. Junior Pierre St. Simon (Farmingdale, N.Y.) added six points during the run while Mayo and senior Casey Blanchard (Bernardston, Mass.) each knocked down three's for the Lynx.
With 6:51 to go in the opening half and the hosts holding a 28-24 lead, Lesley continue to hit from beyond the arc as Corbin Polec (Okemos, Mich.) and Mayo sandwiched trey's around a St. Simon free throw as part of a 7-1 spurt to give the Lynx their biggest lead of the afternoon at 35-25 with just over four minutes to go in the half.
Becker would end the half on a 6-1 run of their own and the teams would head into halftime with Lesley leading 36-31.
The Hawks would continue the game of runs after the break as they used an 11-3 streak on 5-of-6 shooting to start the second stanza. Durodola anchored the stretch for the visitors with seven of his seventeen second half points over the first five minutes of play.
Trailing 45-41 with 12:26 to play, Mayo pulled the Lynx to within one with his fifth three pointer of the day. The Hawks would push their lead to nine points, their biggest lead of the day, with 5:50 left on the clock following a 14-6 run capped by a pair of free throws by junior Kyle Credle (Queens, N.Y.).
The Lynx would not go down quietly, however, as the hosts would trim the deficit back to six on a jumper by Terrell Toney (Lakewood, Wash.) with 2:32 to go. One minute later, Toney would knock down a three to pull within three points, but Becker freshman Kareem Davis (Lowell, Mass.) would answer with a trey of his own to put the Hawks up 64-58.
Polec would pull the Lynx to within three points once again with his third three of the game with 46-seconds to go, but Davis and Credle would each knock down a pair of free throws down the stretch to ice the game for the visitors.
Credle finished with 22 points, going 11-of-15 from the charity stripe, and came on rebound shy of a double-double as he corralled nine boards for the guests. Davis added eight points and six boards while Rishaun Liggon (Elizabeth, N.J.) and Reginald Finney (Ansonia, Conn.) each finished with six points and six rebounds.
St. Simon finished with 12 points, seven rebounds, and six steals for the hosts while Polec would add nine points and four caroms. Senior Chris Barletta (Valrico, Fla.) led all players with seven assists to go with four rebounds and Toney would finish with seven points and a pair of dimes.
Lesley tied a season-high with 11 made three's while they finished the game shooting 34.4% from the field. The Hawks would hit on just 2-of-12 from beyond the arc, but hit on 47% of their attempts from the floor. Becker also held a distinct advantage at the free throw line as they went 20-of-27 on the day from the stripe while Lesley would convert on 8-of-14 of their free throw opportunities.
Both teams will return to NECC play on Tuesday as the Lynx will travel to Wheelock College at 8:30p while the Hawks will play host to Elms College at 8:00p.