Regis Men’s Hoop Unable to Overcome Early Deficit

WEST HARTFORD, Conn. - Regis College was unable to overcome a quick start by the University of Saint Joseph, as the Blue Jays defeated the Pride, 93-71, Saturday afternoon in a Great Northeast Athletic Conference men's basketball game at James A. Calhoun Gymnasium.

Gehrig Brynda (Deerfield, Mass.) hit three three-pointers as he led the Pride with 11 points, while Justin Evelyn (Uniondale, N.Y.) and Tate Pike (Bellingham, Mass.) finished with 10 points apiece. Jamir Harvey (Robbins, Ill.) and Cameron Wilkins (Taunton, Mass.) earned seven points and three rebounds each, and Russell Rau (Fitchburg, Mass.) collected five points, five rebounds, and five assists.

USJ (14-4, 7-0 GNAC) scored the first eight points of the game and held Regis scoreless until Wilkins made a basket four-and-a-half minutes into the contest. Jonathan Box hit a three-pointer to extend the Blue Jay lead to 14-2, but three-pointers from Evelyn and Brynda brought the Pride within seven points at 18-11.

After two made free throws by Anthony Salazar (Hialeah, Fla.), the Blue Jays rattled off 11 unanswered points to extend their advantage to 35-16 with just under five minutes to go in the first half. Baskets by Pike and Wilkins briefly halted the USJ momentum, but a traditional three-point play from Jalen Samuels and a three-pointer by Jared Simmons helped the home team establish a 45-25 lead heading into halftime.

The Pride stayed even with the Blue Jays in the second half until USJ put together an 11-2 scoring run, capped by a three-pointer from Kevin Cummings, to open a 29-point advantage at 84-55. After another three-pointer from Cummings, Regis battled back in the last four minutes of the game, outscoring USJ 11-4 down the stretch.

Tyree Mitchell led the Blue Jays with 22 points and seven rebounds, while Samuels went 10-for-12 from the free throw line as he finished with 18 points and four steals. Friedrich Feldrappe collected 13 points and seven rebounds, Chaylyn Martin dished out a game-high seven assists, and Cummings ended up with 15 points on five made three-pointers.

The Blue Jays shot 51.7 percent (31-for-60) from the field, including 11-for-29 from behind the three-point line, and 87 percent (20-for-23) from the free throw line. On the other side, the Pride shot 38.7 percent (24-for-62) from the field, including 7-for-23 from behind the three-point line, and 94.1 percent (16-for-17) from the free throw line.

Regis College (8-9, 3-3 GNAC) continues its three-game road swing at Emmanuel College Wednesday, Jan. 24, starting at 5:30 p.m.