Lesley University, 86 at Fisher College, 98

Records: 
Lesley University Lynx (3-17, 0-8 NAC)
Fisher College Falcons (6-11) 

Location: Brookline, Mass.-Pappas Gymnasium

Date: Tuesday, January 28, 2025

THE LEAD – Despite being down by as little as three (80-77) with 5:25 remaining, the Lesley University men's basketball team came up on the short end Tuesday night at Fisher College, falling 98-86 in a Tuesday night nonconference matchup. 

HOW IT HAPPENED

• In the opening moments of the first half, both sides played back-and-forth basketball. However, Lesley gave itself some early breathing room by doubling up Fisher, 8-4, after a Tarell Joseph (Hempstead, N.Y.) three-pointer.
• Later in the frame, both sides continued to match each other's play, and with the Lynx up 17-14, the Falcons pushed back and went up three (20-17) thanks to back-to-back Keith Rupert three-pointers before calling a timeout. Coming out of the break, more evenly matched basketball continued to be played, and despite being down five (22-17) with 9:17 left until halftime, Lesley took back the lead (23-22) thanks to a 6-0 run of its own. CJ Leonard (Raynham, Mass.) helped the squad get back the lead thanks to chipping in four points during the Lynx scoring stretch. 
• Even though the squad was up one, the hosts stormed back and captured its first double-digit lead of the night with less than five minutes (4:57) until halftime (34-23) behind a 12-0 run led by four points apiece from both Justin Covington and Mekhi Dedrick. 
• While Tavon Rhodes (Dorchester, Mass.) cut the deficit back to single digits (37-29) on a jumper with 3:08 left in the first, Fisher would not let Lesley get any closer for the remainder of the quarter and outscored Lesley, 10-7 to close out the first half with a 47-36 advantage. 
• As the second half got underway, Fisher's strong offense from the first continued into the second and saw its largest lead after an Ezekiel Edwards three made it 61-45 with 15:31 remaining. However, Lesley cut the 16-point deficit in half when Malachi Howard (Winter Haven, Fla.) knocked down a jumper to make it 66-58, which capped off a 13-5 run with 11:21 left. 
• Even with the Lesley scoring stretch, Fisher kept the Lynx at a distance and recaptured a double-digit lead (74-63) with 8:38 to go after a Keandre Penceal layup. Despite the significant lead, the Lynx would not quit and clawed back to down three (80-77) with 5:25 remaining thanks to a 14-3 rally. Hezekiah Brown (Stafford, Va.) Joseph spearheaded the late Lynx rally with four points each. 
• Although the squad was able to pull within a three-pointer, the Falcons closed out the remainder of the contest by outscoring the Lynx 18-9 for the eventual 98-86 win.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS 

• Rhodes led all scorers with 24 points to go along with a 9-16 shooting clip. It is the third time the first-year guard has scored 20 or more points this year. 
• Lesley's other double-figure scorers were Howard with 17, Joseph with 16, and Brown with 11 points. 
• Howard led the Lynx on the glass with 10 rebounds on the night. He has now posted four double-doubles on the year and 10 in his career.
• For the Falcons, Covington and Rupert led Fisher in scoring with 17 points apiece. 
• Edwards grabbed a game-high 12 rebounds for Fisher Tuesday evening. 

UP NEXT

• esley wraps its road portion of the schedule when the squad heads out to Vermont State University Lyndon on Friday, January 31, at 7:30 p.m.