CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – The Lesley University men's basketball team closed out their 2015-16 campaign with a 77-65 loss to Elms College this evening in New England Collegiate Conference play at the Nicholas Athletics Center. The Lynx end their season with a 5-20 overall record and a 4-12 mark in conference play. The win improves Elms to 14-11 on the season and 12-4 in conference matchups and locks up the second-seed in the upcoming NECC Tournament.

Prior to the start of the game, the Lynx honored the play of seniors Chris Barletta (Valrico, Fla.), Casey Blanchard (Bernardston, Mass.), and Corbin Polec (Okemos, Mich.) for all of their hard work and dedication to the program and the Lesley Athletics Department.

Polec made his Senior Night a memorable one as he drained seven three-pointers on his way to a game-high 25 points, both of which are career-highs. His seven makes from beyond the arc came one shy of tying the Lynx single game record set by Mike Kaufman '14 on January 14, 2012. Barletta also capped his career with a new personal-best as he dished out eight assists to go along with six points and four rebounds. Junior Devon Mayo (Newport News, Va.) registered his second double-double of his career with 15 points and 11 boards while classmate Pierre St. Simon (Farmingdale, N.Y.) added eight points and six rebounds.

Elms junior Symon Smith (Oklahoma City, Okla.) led four players who finished in double-figures with 19 points while senior Jerry Buchanon (Windsor, Conn.) recorded a double-double with 17 points and 11 boards. Sophomore Devonte Marshall (Springfield, Mass.) knocked down 8-of-11 from the free throw line and finished with 10 points and junior Conny Ihearahu (Largo, Md.) added 12 points, nine boards, and a game-best three blocks.

A trey ball from Elms junior Andre Wright (Danbury, Conn.) gave the visitors a 22-17 lead at the 10:33 mark of the first half before Lesley junior Fabrice Louissaint (Everett, Mass.) provided five straight points for the hosts to even the score at 22-22 less than one minute later.

Elms would create their biggest lead of the opening half at 31-24 with an Ihearahu make from the line, but Polec would drain his third triple of the first stanza before St. Simon netted a 15-footer to dwindle the deficit to two, 31-29, with 2:27 to play before the break.

The Blazers would respond with a 4-0 spurt to close out the half and head into the locker room with a 35-29 lead.

Back-to-back buckets from Smith gave the Blazers a 41-32 edge just 2:30 into the second, but the Lynx would use a 9-2 run over the next 3:47 to cut the lead to two, 43-41. After the teams exchanged buckets on their next possessions, sophomore Chris Ceus (Lake Worth, Fla.) would make two free throws to spark a 7-0 run for the Blazers as they pushed their lead back to nine, 52-43.

Trailing 62-52 with 6:22 left to play, a Polec layup and three would cut the deficit in half, but Elms would answer with ten unanswered points – seven of which came from the charity stripe – to regain control and hang on for their third win in their last four games.