THE BASICS

Lesley University, 88 vs. VTSU Lyndon, 80

Records: 
Lesley University Lynx (6-19, 3-10 NAC)
VTSU Lyndon Hornets (7-16 3-8 NAC) 

Location: Lexington, Mass.-Minuteman Gymnasium

Date: Tuesday, February 11, 2025

THE LEAD— Four Lynx scored in double figures, allowing the Lesley University men's basketball team to close out the regular season with an 88-80 North Atlantic Conference (NAC) win Tuesday evening. 

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Lesley's offense came out firing by opening the contest on a quick 10-2 run before VTSU Lyndon called an early timeout. Hezekiah Brown (Stafford, Va.) and Tavon Rhodes (Dorchester, Mass.) each chipped in four points during the Lynx's opening scoring surge. 
• Coming out of the break, the Lynx's offense showed no signs of slowing down as the squad pushed its lead to 11 (18-9) with 14:29 left until halftime. Although the Hornets would cut it to seven (20-13) later in the half, Lesley's offense would not be deterred as the hosts saw its lead balloon up to 20 (47-27) before calling a quick timeout with 3:59 left until halftime.
• After the break, Lesley would grab its largest lead of the evening (53-29) when Malachi Howard (Winter Haven, Fla.) knocked down a free throw with 2:32 left in the first half. From then on, Lesley closed out the first with a 57-39 advantage. In the opening half, Brown led all Lesley scorers with 11 points, followed by Christian Castro (Chesapeake, Va.) , who had 10 first-half points.
• In the opening moments of the second half, it was all Hornets as the visitors caught momentum and evened the game at 61 with 12:20 left to play by going on a 22-4 run. Victor Kukta Reyes and Tyler Bergmans both spearheaded the VTSU Lyndon rally with eight points apiece. 
• Later in the half, after a Tyler Cooper three gave the Hornets a 66-65 lead, Lesley generated some breathing room by going back ahead by six (73-67) courtesy of an 8-1 run with 6:46 left. Brown led the late Lesley run with four points. 
• However, on the next possession, VTSU Lyndon responded with a Kukta Reyes layup (73-69) and called a timeout with 5:54 left to play. Despite the Hornets' layup, that was the closest the Lesley defense would allow them to get. The squad closed out the contest, outscoring VTSU Lyndon 15-11, for a crucial 88-80 NAC victory. 

INSIDE THE NUMBERS 

• Howard led all Lynx scorers with 20 points and also grabbed a team-high 14 rebounds for his fifth double-double this season and 11th of his career. His 14 rebounds also tied a career-high. 
• Brown, CJ Leonard (Raynham, Mass.), and Castro were the other Lynx scorers in double figures, with 17, 12, and 10 points, respectively. 
• For Leonard, he also brought down 10 rebounds Tuesday for his second double-double of his career. 
• For VTSU Lyndon, Deshawn Ford scored a game-high 23 points on 10-15 shooting. 
• Tuesday's win also marked a season sweep of the Hornets, which is the first time the squad has swept a season series since 2018 against Wheelock College as members of the NECC. It is the first time the Lynx have swept a season series with an NAC opponent since 2008 against Thomas College. 
• Lesley extended its win streak over VTSU Lyndon to two games, outscoring the Hornets 170-149 during that stretch. 
• The Lynx's three wins in NAC play is the most since the 2007-08 season when the squad went 8-5 in the NAC. 
• Lesley's six-game win total is the most since 2017-18, when the squad went 13-14, and it is also the most wins under Head Coach Devon Mayo. 

UP NEXT

• Lesley concludes its regular season with a 6-19 record and a 3-10 record in NAC play. The Lynx's postseason fate will be determined after the results of this weekend's NAC games. Currently, the Lynx sit in fourth place in the NAC's West Division over SUNY Cobleskill, who is 2-9. In order to make the playoffs, the Lynx will need to remain in fourth place in the West Division.