MILTON, Mass. – Lesley University junior Devon Mayo (Newport News, Va.) saved all of his 19 points for the second half and two overtime periods to lead the Lynx to an 87-83 season-opening win over host Curry College tonight on the Colonels campus.
Mayo made all four of his free throw attempts in the final 25-seconds in double-overtime to ice the game for the Lynx, who open their season at 1-0 for the first time since the 2006-07 campaign. The junior guard was excellent from the charity stripe all night long, hitting 12-of-13 while also adding a team-high 11 rebounds to notch a double-double.
With the game tied up at halftime, the contest was up for the taking as neither team was able to gain a sizeable advantage. With the Lynx up by two with 1:39 to go in regulation, Curry senior James Pina (Warwick, R.I.) helped send the game into overtime with a made jump shot with just 26 seconds to go to tie the game at 65-65. Lesley would hold for last possession but was unable to get a clean look and send the game into overtime.
Lesley opened the first overtime period of a 6-0 spurt on a layup by senior Marquise Johnson (Hampton, Va.) and four free throws from Mayo. Trailing by four with 2:35 to go, Curry's Jordan James-Bellitti (Cambridge, Mass.) scored four straight points, including the equalizer on a put-back layup with just 0.4-seconds on the clock to knot the game at 71-71 and send the game to a second overtime.
The Lynx opened the second overtime much like the first with an 8-2 run put them in front by seven. But the Colonels would respond and trim the lead to just two on a triple by Jaelen George-Bellitti (Cambridge, Mass.) at 85-83. Mayo would seal the game for the Lynx from the free throw line and deliver the guests with the 87-83 win.
Lesley shot 38.2 percent from the floor (26-of-68), including 24 percent (6-of-25) from downtown.
Sophomore Xeo Golding (Windermere, Fla.) led all players with 24 points to go with six boards and five steals. Junior Will Gibson (Melbourne, Fla.) chipped in 11 points and six steals off the bench while Johnson and junior Joey Martin (Melbourne, Fla.) each added eight.
Curry had a seven rebound advantage over Lesley (46-39), while holding a slight edge in second chance points (15-13) and in bench points (24-21). The Lynx defense was active all night long, swiping 19 steals and causing 27 turnovers.
Curry shot 46.8 percent (29-of-62) from the floor, including 40.0 percent (6-of-15) from beyond the arc. Pina led Curry in the loss with 21 points and 12 rebounds while DaShawn Williams (New Haven, Conn.) and Jason O'Neill (Norton, Mass.) came off the bench to score 12 and 10 points, respectively.
Curry returns to the hardwood Friday when they travel to take on Castleton State at 7 p.m. Lesley will also play on the road Friday when they open play against Fisher College in the Rivier University Tip-Off Tournament. The contest is set to begin at 8 p.m.