CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – All five starters scored in double figures as the Lesley University men's basketball team defeated Wentworth Institute of Technology, 85-78, in a non-conference contest played at Buckingham Browne & Nicholls.
With the win the Lynx improve to 3-1 on the season with their second straight win while the Leopards slip to 1-2 on the young season.
Lesley opened the game on an 8-2 run thanks in part to a pair of senior Pierre St. Simon (Farmingdale, N.Y.) three pointers. Junior Jason Ganley (Northbridge, Mass.) ended the run with a layup, however the Lynx outscored Wentworth 12-6 over the next 3:06 to extend their lead to 22-10.
Wentworth battled back and used a 10-2 run to come within four (24-20) as Ganley recorded six straight points but Lesley countered with the next seven points and took a 31-20 lead with 7:51 left in the half. Two free throws from junior Jovanny Lamisere (Waltham, Mass.) and back-to-back trifectas from freshman Colin Mulvaney (Jenkintown, Pa.) brought the Black & Gold within three with 6:22 left. Lesley upped its lead to 10 with 1:34 left on a senior Marquise Johnson (Hampton, Va.) basket and took a 45-37 lead into the locker room.
After Johnson opened the second half with a jumper, freshman Matt Vartanian (Salem, N.H.) scored five straight points and junior Ben Kizel (Short Hills, N.J.) hit one of two free throws to make it a 47-43 game with 16:17 remaining. A 10-2 Lesley run extended the lead back to double figures before a Mulvaney three eventually cut the lead to six with 10:17 left in the game.
The Lynx led by as many as 13 with 7:02 remaining, however Wentworth chipped away at the lead and found itself trailing by six (74-68) after a senior Dan DeVaux (Wethersfield, Conn.) three pointer with 4:13 left. The Leopards got back within six on two more occasions and trailed by just five (80-75) after a Kizel jumper with 1:09 left. Kizel would also bring Wentworth to within five when he drained a pair of free throws with 35 seconds left. However that would be as close as the Leopards would get.
Johnson and sophomore Xeo Golding (Windemere, Fla.) each scored 14 points for Lesley. Johnson also grabbed seven rebounds and dished out four assists while Golding had seven rebounds. St. Simon added a dozen points while senior Devon Mayo (Newport News, Va.) and junior Joey Martin (Melbourne, Fla.) scored 11 apiece.
Ganley connected on 9-of-17 shots for a game-high 21 points. DeVaux added 14 points while Mulvaney scored 12 points – all on three pointers. Vartanian completed the quartet of Leopards in double figures with 11 points and also hauled down a dozen rebounds. Wentworth had a 38-31 rebounding edge.
The Leopards open Commonwealth Coast Conference play on Wednesday, Nov. 30, with a home game against the University of New England.
