Leicester, Mass. - Playing in the final regular season home game of his career, Terrance Favors (Boston, Mass.) gave the Becker faithful another memorable performance in an outstanding career. Favors scored 26 points with 11 rebounds and eight assists as Becker defeated Lesley, 89-57, in NECC men's basketball action on Thursday night on the Becker campus. Becker ran their record to 18-4 with a perfect 13-0 mark in the NECC. Lesley fell to 10-12 and 6-8 in the conference standings.
The Hawks wasted little time taking control of the game, as Favors scored nine of Becker's first 11 points in helping the home team take a 15-2 lead. To cap off the opening run, Favors pulled down a defensive rebound and found Yahmad Rountree (Waterbury, Conn.) streaking towards the basket at the other end. Roundtree took the Favors long bomb and slammed it home as the Leicester gym erupted. Riding the emotional high, the Hawks refused to ease up on the Lynx, taking a 24-5 advantage after a 3-point play by Favors with 10:13 remaining in the first period. A minute later, Becker extended their lead to 19 off a layup by the big man, Jerome Cohen (Boston, Mass.), and the Hawks never looked back. The intensity extended to the defensive end as well. On one of the few fast-break opportunities for Lesley in the opening half, senior Rajai Leggett (New Haven, Conn.) swooped in behind to block the layup as Becker took possession and maintained control. When the Lynx tried to double-team the Hawks inside, Becker found Tyler Roberson (Irvington, N.J.) behind the arc and the sophomore hit all five of his 3-pointers in the first period. The hosts led by as much as 28 in the first period, a plateau reached on layup from Favors with 1:24 left in the half. Becker would go into halftime leading 51-25, having shot 50 percent from the floor as a team. Roberson hit all six of his shots in the period to score 18 points while Favors had 17 points, nine rebounds and seven assists in the opening stanza. Alex Perez (San Diego, Calif.) came off the bench to score ten points for the Lynx.
Becker continued to attack in the second half, going on a 12-2 run in the opening minutes. On one early possession, Chris Canady (Newark, N.J.) stripped Lesley of the ball in the backcourt, flipping it to Favors who dished to Leggett for the slam. With 16:26 left in the game, Cohen took the defensive rebound and finished at the other end with another resounding dunk, sending Becker's fans into a roaring frenzy. The Lynx would attempt to answer with 3-pointers from Mike Kaufman (Boca Raton, Fla.) and Valentine Emebo (Dorchester, Mass.). Even that light was quickly snuffed out as Favors answered with a dagger from behind the arc to put the Hawks up by 35 with 12:36 remaining. Even with Favors taking a breather on the bench, Becker continued its relentless attack as Roberson stole the ball and found Leggett for yet another fast-break dunk with 10:10 left in the game. The Becker lead peaked at 45 on a jumper from Sam Grimsley (Waterbury, Conn.) with 8:55 remaining, and with less than two minutes left, Becker called timeout as their seniors exited the game for the final time, accepting the applause and accolades of their teammates and fans.
Favors shot 8-of-16 from the floor and 2-of-4 from behind the arc while leading the Hawks with three steals. Leggett finished with 14 points, eight rebounds and two blocks. Roberson scored all 18 of his points in the first half while dishing out three assists. Cohen was perfect from the field, hitting all four of his shots to finish with 12 points and seven rebounds. Rountree was a force inside with seven rebounds and three blocks. Dylan Parker (Fairhaven, Mass.) pulled down five boards while Lee Brockett (Waterbury, Conn.) added eight points. With the win, Becker clinched the right to host the NECC Final Four for the third straight year.
Perez led Lesley with 13 points and six rebounds, while John Stockton (Middlesex, N.J.) contributed nine points and two steals. Kris Bennett (Las Vegas, Nev.) hauled in a team-high eight rebounds while John Sanchez (Carson, Calif.) added seven points, three assists and two steals.
Prior to the game, the seniors Favors, Leggett, Parker and Stanley Cunningham (New Haven, Conn.) were honored by teammates, coaches, parents and spectators for their contributions to both the men's basketball program and to the Becker community as a whole. Their dedication, leadership and commitment will be missed.
The Hawks of Becker are back in action on Saturday, February 11th, when they head to Southern Vermont to challenge the Mountaineers. Tipoff comes at 3:00 p.m. The Lynx of Lesley will head home to host the Mariners on Tuesday, February 14th at 8:00 p.m.