CAMBRIDGE, Mass. - Senior guard Joe Chatman (Boston, Mass.) scored 16 of his game-high 25 points in the second half, but Maine Maritime outscored Lesley as a whole Friday night, besting the Lynx, 86-81, after the game went into halftime tied up.
Against Husson, in the other half of Lesley's weekend road trip to Maine for a pair of North Atlantic Conference East Division matchups, Chatman was again the Lynx' leading scorer, going for 18 points, but again the Lynx came up short, dropping an 82-72 decision.
Lesley (3-10, 1-2 NAC) is currently in the midst of a five-game losing streak, its longest of the season. The Lynx' last victory came in their first conference game of the season, an 85-77 road win at Becker.
Improving to 4-0 in conference play, Maine Maritime (6-7 overall) is the only team in the NAC still undefeated against conference foes. Husson (7-7 overall) is now 3-1 against the NAC.
Lesley had its best chance to win this weekend against Maine Maritime, as Chatman hit a three-pointer just before halftime to send the game into the break with the score tied at 38. The Lynx rode that momentum out of the locker room, quickly grabbing an eight-point lead at 47-39 less than two minutes into the second half.
It was short lived, though, as the Mariners grabbed the lead back at 52-49 three minutes later after a three-pointer by Bryant Ciomei. Ciomei finished with eight points, but four Maine Maritime teammates reached double-figures, including Neil Stewart (17 points) and Adam Haskell (19 points).
From that point forward, the game went back and forth, with Lesley actually maintaining the lead most of the rest of the way until the four-minute mark, where a lay-up by Haskell gave his team a 76-74 advantage that the Mariners wouldn't relinquish.
Down 81-80 with just under a minute to go, Chatman missed a jumper and Maine Maritime hit its free throws down the stretch to hold on for the five-point win.
Four other players scored in double figures for Lesley, with Jon Cruz (Haverhill, Mass.) going for 12 points and senior forward Mark Stevens (Las Vegas, Nev.), freshman center Jesus Trejo (Methuen, Mass.), and freshman guard Jermaine Harris (Methuen, Mass.) each totaling 11 points. Trejo also led the Lynx in rebounds with nine.
Against Husson, Trejo was the only player who joined Chatman in double-figures, as he scored 14 and grabbed seven boards. Harris totaled eight points and eight rebounds.
The Eagles jumped out to a 13-1 advantage to begin the game and the headstart proved too much for the Lynx to overcome. Lesley cut its deficit to five at 42-37 going into halftime but never got closer in the second half, as Husson stretched its lead back to 13 just four minutes out of the break at 56-43 and maintained at least a two-possession advantage the rest of the way in taking the 10-point victory.
All five Eagles starters went for at least 10 points, with Sheruad Lee leading the way with 18.
Lesley will try to bounce back this week with a trio of NAC games, starting with Wheelock on the road on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. The Lynx will host Castleton State at 6:30 p.m. on Friday and Johnson State at 2 p.m. on Saturday.
For more information about the Lesley University men's basketball team, please visit their website.