SPRINGFIELD, MA -- Lesley outrebounded Western New England College 41-26 and John Sanchez hit 11-12 free throws down the stretch as the Lynx advanced to the championship of the Golden Bears Mens Hoops Classic by topping WNEC 71-65.

The junior guard led Lesley with 21 points, cashing in on his time at the charity stripe by converting on 15-16 from the line, one make short of a school record. Sanchez's career effort came on 2-3 shooting from downtown and included seven assists and six rebounds over 37 minutes.

In addition to outrebounding the Bears by 15, Donald Morris' Lynx shot a scorching 55 percent from distance, hitting on 6-11 three-point field goals. On the boards, senior center Jesus Trejo led the team with nine rebounds.

While Sanchez carried the Lynx down the stretch, it was Morris' freshmen that paced the team early. Five points from frosh Grant Cobb in the first seven minutes had the game tied at 10, and five straight points from fellow first-year Mike Kaufman pulled the Lynx back within three at 26-23.

After coming back to take a 40-34 lead into half, a 7-0 Lynx run out of the half put Lesley up for good. Charles Watson came off the bench for 10 points, and Cobb and Jonathan Cruz added nine each. For the game, Lesley shot 44 percent from the floor, holding WNEC to 37 percent.

Lesley moves on to advance to the championship of the tournament to face Trinity at 3 p.m. on Sunday.  Trinity defeated Norwich on Saturday 77-50.