CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – Lesley University used a 14-2 streak late in the second half to run away from visiting Daniel Webster College with a 80-65 victory in New England Collegiate Conference play tonight at the Nicholas Athletics Center.
The Lynx – winners of two of their last three and five of their last seven – match their highest season win total since the 2011-12 campaign as they improve to 11-5 on the season and 5-2 in NECC action. The loss drops the Eagles to 9-5 overall and 3-2 in conference play.
Daniel Webster senior Ray Farmer (Nashua, N.H.) drained a pair of free throws to cut the Eagles deficit to just six, 64-58, with 5:23 left on the clock, but that would be as close as they would get as the Lynx offense got hot down the stretch.
Lynx sophomore Joey Martin (Melbourne, Fla.) ignited the run with a jumper which was followed by a ferocious slam from classmate Xeo Golding (Windermere, Fla.). The spurt would continue with back-to-back three's from senior Devon Mayo (Newport News, Va.) and Martin while Golding would close the run out with a pair of put-backs to open up an 18-point advantage, 78-60, with just over one minute left to play.
Golding powered the Lesley offense as he finished with a season-high 25 points – 16 of which came in the second half – to go with a team-best seven rebounds. Mayo followed with 18 points while Martin hit 4-of-5 from deep on his way to 16 points. Junior Marquise Johnson (Hampton, Va.) added six points and a team-high six assists while senior Pierre St. Simon (Farmingdale, N.Y.) finished with seven points, four caroms, two assists, two steals, and one block.
Daniel Webster sophomore Antwaun Boyd (Stamford, Conn.) paced the Eagles with 15 points on 6-of-9 shooting while Farmer added 12 points and a team-high six dimes. Junior Jaquan Harrison (Windsor, Conn.) finished with ten points and seven boards and senior Michael Campbell (Mt. Vernon, N.Y.) came off the bench for eight points in 24 minutes.
The Eagles jumped ahead early with a quick 5-0 lead and later led 20-17 following a Boyd triple and a layup from junior Jaquan Harrison (Windsor, Conn.) with 9:14 to go in the first. The Lynx would respond with their first 14-2 run of the night, powered by seven points from Golding and six from freshman LaMarr Mitchell (Baltimore, Md.), as they took control with a 31-22 lead. Lesley would not trail for the remainder of the game.
Lesley hit 49% (27-of-55) from the floor on the night compared to 47% (25-of-53) shooting from the Eagles. The Lynx were hot from the free throw line, connecting at season-high 94% (17-of-18) clip while the Eagles held a 35-25 edge on the glass – including a 23-9 edge in the opening half. Daniel Webster also held a 36-26 advantage in points in the paint while Lesley dished out 21 assists to DWC's 14.
The Lynx will be back on their home floor on Thursday night when they welcome Newbury College at 8:00p. The Eagles will also be back in action on Thursday as they travel to Becker College for a bout with the Hawks at 7:00p.
Lesley and Daniel Webster will square off again and complete their two-game season series in Nashua on Saturday at 3:00p.