CHESTNUT HILL, MA – The Becker College men's basketball team defeated host Wheelock College, 75-50, to win its 37th straight conference game to tie the NCAA Division III record for most consecutive league victories in a New England Collegiate Conference contest this afternoon at Brunelli Court on the campus of Pine Manor College in Chestnut Hill, MA. The Hawks improve to 5-4 overall and 2-0 in league action, while the Wildcats fall to 1-7 and 0-2.
Becker placed five players in double-digits in scoring and has not lost a conference game since February 9, 2010 and ties the standard set by Buffalo State from 1968-73. The visitors forced 18 turnovers and held Wheelock to just 32.7% (16-49) shooting for the game.
Sophomore forward Yahmad Rountree (Waterbury, CT) scored the first of his team-high 19 points, converting one of two free throws to give the Hawks a 6-5 edge with 17:24 to go in the first half, before Wheelock scored the next eight points, capped by a three-pointer from senior forward Bashir Hudson (Jamaica Plain, MA), to take its largest lead of the day at 13-6 with 13:46 left in the period. Sophomore guard Scott Sobel (Silver Spring, MD) later knocked down a trifecta at 8:17 to maintain the home team's margin at 19-14, but a 7-2 burst, including five points from junior guard Tyler Roberson (Irvington, NJ), gave Becker the lead for good at 22-21 with 5:39 showing in the first half. Rountree made a layup to give the visitors its biggest lead of the first half at 34-24 with 49 seconds left, before taking a 34-26 lead into the break.
The Hawks scored the first eight points of the second stanza as part of a 17-3 run over the first six-plus minutes of the half to take a 51-29 lead with 13:47 to play. Sophomore guard Donovin Ford-Hayes (Windsor Locks, CT) netted eight points during the stretch for Becker. Sobel later drained another three-pointer to pull the Wildcats to within 53-35 with 12:27 remaining in the game, but that would be as close as they would get for the rest of the game. The Hawks put together a 14-2 run, fueled by nine points from sophomore guard Lee Brockett (Waterbury, CT), to take a 67-37 advantage with 7:22 to play. Wheelock made one last push, courtesy of seven points from Hudson, to cut the deficit to 68-44 with 4:54 left in the contest, but Becker cruised to the win.
Rountree was 9-15 from the floor for the Hawks and added seven rebounds, two assists, two steals and a blocked shot, while Roberson finished with 16 points, five boards, two assists and a steal. Brockett netted 13 points on 4-7 from the field, grabbed four boards, handed out two assists and made a pair of steals. Ford-Hayes ended the day with 11 points, five rebounds, three assists and three steals and junior guard Mike Russell (East Hampton, NY) led all playmakers with seven assists in addition to two points and four rebounds.
Hudson scored double figures for the eighth straight game and led the Wildcats with 19 on 7-13 from the floor, including 2-2 from three-point range, while adding eight rebounds, two assists, a steal and a blocked shot. Sobel finished with eight points, three assists and a rebound in 25 minutes off the bench, while senior guard Daniel Higgins (Wakefield, MA) chipped in with six points, five rebounds and two assists.
Wheelock will be in action again on Tuesday, December 11 when its hosts Mount Ida College at 7:30 p.m., while Becker looks to break the consecutive conference wins record on December 16 when it travels to Babson Park, MA to take on Babson College at 2:00 p.m.