Regis Men’s Basketball Cruises Past Lesley, 73-50

WESTON, Mass. - Thanks to a balanced offensive attack which saw four players score at least nine points, Regis College picked up its first home victory of the season by defeating Lesley University, 73-50, Tuesday night in a non-conference men's collegiate basketball game at Higgins Court.

Justin Evelyn (Uniondale, N.Y.) led the Pride with 16 points as he hit four three-pointers, while Jamir Harvey (Robbins, Ill.) notched his sixth career double-double with 13 points and a game-high 14 rebounds. Russell Rau (Fitchburg, Mass.) came close to his own double-double with 13 points and nine rebounds to go along with four assists, two steals, and two blocks, and Zakaria Latifi (Holliston, Mass.) contributed nine points and five rebounds.

Lesley scored the first two baskets of the game on jumpers by Tarell Joseph and Jaden Phillips, but Regis quickly took control of the game thanks to 10 unanswered points, capped by a three-pointer from Evelyn. The Lynx scored the next four points, including a traditional three-point play from Malachi Howard, but the Pride responded with seven straight points, including a three-pointer from Rau and a putback by Latifi to give Regis a 21-10 advantage.

Raymond Johnson (Douglas, Mass.) hit a three-pointer near the end of the first half to increase the Pride lead back to double digits at 30-19 heading into halftime. The Pride put the game away early in the second half thanks to an 18-5 scoring run, punctuated by a Latifi three-pointer and five straight points from Evelyn. All 18 active players saw action during the game, with Dashon Smith Adams (New Haven, Conn.) earning four points and four rebounds and Tyrone Chinn (Derry, N.H.) scoring his first career collegiate points in the final seconds.

Howard shot 10-for-19 from the field as he led all players with 23 points, while Joseph finished with 10 points, six rebounds, and four assists. As a team, the Lynx shot just 32.4 percent (22-for-68) from the field and 50 percent (5-for-10) from the free throw line, but they did score 21 points off 20 Regis turnovers.

The Pride shot 45.2 percent (28-for-62) from the field, including 10-for-27 from behind the three-point line, and 70 percent (7-for-10) from the free throw line. Regis won the rebounding battle, 47-36, and scored 19 points off 16 Lesley turnovers.

Regis (2-4) opens conference play at Dean College Saturday, Dec. 2, starting at 3 p.m. Lesley (1-5) also opens its league schedule with back-to-back home games against Maine-Presque Isle Friday, Dec. 1, at 6 p.m. and Saturday at 2 p.m.