Lynx vs. Jumbos, Tuesday, November 29, 2011, 8 p.m.
Tuesday's game matches a pair of 2-1 teams coming off in-season tournament championships as local foe Tufts University visits BB&N.
Last Meeting
The teams have split the last two meetings, with Tufts earning a one-sided victory one year ago Wednesday and Lesley winning two seasons ago. In the Jumbos king-sized 86-39 victory 11/30/10 in Medford, John Sanchez led Lesley with 11 points and then-senior Jesus Trejo coralled a game-high 12 rebounds. A year earlier, on 12/1/09, Trejo scored 20 points to go along with 11 rebounds in Lesley's 57-55 win.
Back in action
Lesley returns from its 10-day layoff after the program's first in-season tournament championship at New England College, which the Lynx earned by besting Berkeley (NY) College 70-67 and SUNY-Canton 66-53. Tufts, meanwhile, earned a pair of wins in the Thomas College Charlie Ryan Classic.
Some Jumbo numbers
Tufts lost 80-77 in its last game, a double-overtime setback in the team's home opener to Regis College of the NECC. In the loss, Jumbos forward Alex Orchowski totaled 35 points and 16 rebounds on 13-18 shooting in only 29 minutes before fouling out in the closing seconds of double overtime.
NECC regulars
Counting Tuesday's tilt with the Lynx, three of Tufts' first four games will have been against New England Collegiate Conference opponents. The Jumbos beat Newbury College at the Thomas College tournament before losing to Regis a week ago. Tufts is Lesley's first opponent from the New England Small College Athletics Conference (NESCAC).
League leaders
Forward Kris Bennett leads the NECC with an astounding .819 field goal percentage. Fellow forward Valentine Emebo is fourth, at .647. John Sanchez leads the league with 24 free throws on 27 attempts.
NEC Tip-Off Champs
In the NEC Tip-Off Tournament Championship win over SUNY-Canton, point guard John Sanchez led all players with 21 points on 8-9 shooting at the free throw line, and John Stockton came off the bench for 11 points on 3-6 shooting from three-point range.
Stepping it up on the boards
Sophomore Kris Bennett pulled down nine rebounds for the third time in three games in the win over Canton. At an even 9.0 rebounds a night after three games, the 6-foot-8 forward is averaging five better than his 4.0 from a year ago. Bennett will be called upon to control the post in the absence of leading rebounder Jesus Trejo, who graduated after pulling down a team-best 8.1 boards per game a year ago.
Looking ahead ...
Lesley travels to MIT on Saturday at 3 p.m. to take on the No. 10 nationally-ranked engineers. MIT is 5-0 against fellow Division-III opponents, winning its last four games by 22 or more points each and its only loss coming in exhibition play to Harvard.
