THE BASICS 
Lesley University, 64 at UMaine Presque Isle, 84

Records: 
Lesley University Lynx (3-10, 0-3, NAC)
UMaine Presque Isle Owls (9-3, 2-1, NAC) 

Location: Presque Isle, Maine - Wieden Gymnasium

Date: Tuesday, January 7, 2025

THE LEAD— In what was the squad's first game back since December 11, the Lesley men's basketball team fell to UMaine Presque Isle (UMPI) in North Atlantic Conference action, 84-64 Tuesday evening. 

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Both sides opened things by playing strong defensively, as neither squad allowed a basket in the first 2:39 of action before a Doug McCalla layup got things started for the Owls. After UMPI grabbed an early four-point lead (6-2), Jaxon Miles (Arlington, Texas) pulled Lesley within two (6-4) after he knocked down two free throws.
• Despite keeping things close, the Owls generated some space and went up 11-6 thanks to a Dwaine Williams three-pointer. Still, Lesley once again made things a one-basket game (11-8) after Malachi Howard (Winter Haven, Fla.) tipped in his offensive rebound with 12:25 left in the half.
• However, UMPI kept Lesley at bay as the hosts grabbed its first double-digit lead (20-10) thanks to a 9-2 spurt highlighted by five points from Akhe McMichael. Even with the significant lead, Lesley chipped away and made it a seven-point ball game (22-15) before calling a timeout with 8:44 remaining in the first. Coming out of the break, UMPI held off Lesley's momentum and closed the half by outscoring the Lynx, 19-10 for a 45-21 advantage at halftime.
• UMPI's offensive continued going strong to start the second half as the Owls earned their largest lead of the night (51-29) after a McMichael layup with 17:29 remaining. Although UMPI held a 22-point lead, Lesley cut the deficit to 10 (54-44) thanks to a 15-3 push with 13:13 left in the contest. Hezekiah Brown (Stafford, Va.) spearheaded the Lynx rally with six points on two made threes.  
• Even though the Lynx started to find some momentum, the Owls did not let Lesly pick away anymore as the hosts pulled back ahead by 20 (64-44) with a little over 10 minutes left in the contest (10:40). Despite the Lynx cutting things down to 15 (73-57) with 6:20 remaining, UMPI held off any Lesley offense the rest of the way for the eventual 84-64 win. 

INSIDE THE NUMBERS  

• Howard led the Lynx with 13 points on the night thanks to a 4-9 shooting clip.
• CJ Leonard (Raynahm, Mass.) led the squad in rebounds by tying a season-high with nine boards. 
• McMichael led all scorers on the night with 20 points on 8-14 shooting. 
• On the glass, two Owls led the hosts with seven rebounds (Saquan Carswel and Myles Jones).

UP NEXT

• Lesley has a quick turnaround, taking on the same Owls tomorrow at 2:00 p.m.