THE BASICS 
Lesley University, 79 at New England College, 66

Records: 
Lesley University Lynx (3-5, 0-0 NAC)
New England College Pilgrims (0-6, 0-0 GNAC) 

Location: Henniker, N.H. - Bridges Gym

Date: Tuesday, November 26, 2024

THE LEAD— The Lesley University men's basketball team saw four student-athletes score in double-figures as the squad came away with a 79-66 non-conference victory at New England College Tuesday evening.  

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Early in the first half, both sides were evenly matched and tied at 11 nearly seven minutes in (13:02). However, Lesley gave itself breathing room with a 6-0 spurt to go up 17-11 at 10:26 after a Tarell Joseph (Hempstead, N.Y.) three ball. 
• Lesley's offense continued to apply offensive pressure and would go up by nine (23-14) with less than nine minutes left in the half (8:38). Despite the large lead, the Pilgrims pulled within three (23-20) courtesy of a 6-0 run which led to a Lesley timeout.
• Coming out of the timeout, both sides traded baskets for the remainder of the first and Lesley took a three-point lead heading into halftime, 33-30.
• As the second half got underway, Lesley increased its lead early on when the squad jumped out to a 39-33 lead after Malachi Howard (Winter Haven, Fla.) knocked down two free throws.
• Later in the second, New England College trimmed its deficit to three (41-37) after an Alex Williams jumper which led to a Pilgrims timeout at 16:59. After the break, Lesley's offense picked up steam and went on a 8-0 run for a 49-37 advantage from a vicious CJ Leonard (Raynham, Mass.) dunk. 
• After Leonard's dunk, New England College tried to recooperate and called a timeout at 15:11. The break in action helped the Pilgrims gather themselves as the hosts pulled within four (54-50) courtesy of a 13-6 rally. 
• While New England College closed the deficit, Lesley would not the Pilgrims get any closer as the squad recaptured a double-digit lead (60-50) after Jaxon Miles (Arlington, Texas) hit a layup with 10:31 remaining. 
• Lesley's offense continued to hold strong the rest of the way and had its largest lead of the night (76-59) when Nathaniel Maldonado (Bronx, N.Y.) hit a layup at 3:36. From that point on, the Lynx would ultimately secrue the 79-66 win. 

INSIDE THE NUMBERS  

• Tavon Rhodes (Dorchester, Mass.) once again led the Lynx in scoring with 17 points on an efficient 5-9 shooting.
• Along with Rhodes, Lesley saw three other studnet-athletes score in double-figures: Leonard-15 points, Joseph-14 points, and Miles-10 points.
• Leonard was all over the court Tuesday night as the junior guard grabbed seven boards. He has now brought down seven rebounds in two of his last three games.
• Alex Williams led all scorers for the Pilgrims with 24 points and also finished with a game-high 16 rebounds. 
• Lesley earned its first win against New England College since 2017.

UP NEXT

• Lesley will have some much deserved time off before the Lynx resume action again on Tuesday, December 3 at Fitchburg State. Tipoff is set for 6:00 p.m.