QUINCY, Mass. - Lesley holds on by a thread over Eastern Nazarene, 84-79.
Under a minute and the Crusaders down by one with the ball, it was what the Lynx did all night that secured their five point victory, press and trap the ball at every moment.
Having erased a thirteen point deficit in the game to one, the Crusaders could not take care of the ball well enough to capitalize, before giving it away and allowing the Lynx to climb back up to a five point lead and equal margin of victory, 84-79.
In a feverishly paced first half, the Lynx would press and trap to create 16 first half Crusader turnovers to lead by six, 35-29, going into halftime.
With a tight 46-41 game on hand and 12 minutes remaining, the Lynx would hit three 3-pointers inter mixed with Crusader turnovers and missed shots that put the game in jeopardy for the Crusaders at 55-41.
The Crusaders responded with an 11-6 run that put the score at 61-52 and the fans on edge. JP Marcellus would score consecutive buckets and his presence on the floor would begin to have effect. He would lead the Crusaders in the comeback with dunks, lay-ups, steals and free throws that led to a one point deficit before the Lynx would find their way to the free throw line in that last minute.
Leading all scorers tonight was senior Stanley Chamblain (Everett, Mass.) with 25 points and junior teammate Joseph Chatman (Boston, Mass.) was not too far behind with 19 points of his own.
Co-captain junior Luc Jasmin (Pawtucket, R.I.) and junior JP Marcellus would lead the Crusaders tonight with 22 points, 6 rebounds and 20 points, 12 rebounds respectively.
Eastern Nazarene comes back after the Thanksgiving Break and hosts Mt Ida College on November 28th, 2006 at 8:00 pm in ENC's Lahue Center while Lesley (2-1) host MIT at 8:30 pm.