CHICOPEE, MA -- Lesley dropped its New England Collegiate Conference opener, 77-54, Saturday afternoon at Elms.

John Sanchez scored a team-high 16 points on 11-13 shooting from the free throw stripe, while Jesus Trejo added 14 points and a team-best six rebounds.

The Blazers tore up the open floor to a 16-0 advantage in fast break points, taking advantage of 21 Lynx miscues for a 20-9 advantage in points off turnovers.

A Trejo layup put Lesley ahead 9-7 five minutes into the contest, but Elms responded with a Bryant Corocan three-point play that put the Blazers ahead for good. Trejo scored eight of his 14 in the first half, but Elms' Edgar Martinez led all scorers with 13 at halftime. Elms shot 16-32 in the first half, limiting Lesley to 8-24 shooting from the floor in taking a 41-23 lead at the break.

The Lynx twice cut the deficit to 15 in the second, as John Sanchez hit a pair of free throws at the 14:37 mark, but the Blazers responded with a 14-0 run featuring six points and a pair of assists from Martinez. The run opened up a 65-39 Elms lead at the 11:00 mark, distancing the home team for good.

Martinez led all players with 19 points and Corocan added 10 on perfect 4-4 shooting. Elms outrebounded Lesley 44-34, led by Martinez's game-high nine boards.

For Lesley, Sanchez added a game-best six assists in 24 minutes.

Elms improves to 8-4 on the season (1-0 NECC), while Lesley falls to 3-8.

Donald Morris' club returns to play on Tuesday, playing host to Newbury at 8:00 p.m.