CHICOPEE, Mass. – Elms College senior forward Edgar Martinez (Springfield, Mass.) netted a game-high 21 points and the Blazers held Daniel Webster College to just 16 points in the final 20 minutes to help Elms secure an 81-46 victory over the Eagles in Saturday afternoon's New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) men's basketball game at Picknelly Arena.
With the win, Elms has now won three straight and improves to 11-5 overall, 4-1 in NECC action, while Daniel Webster falls to 8-6 on the season, 2-3 in league play.
Trailing 34-21 with 2:49 to play in the opening period, Daniel Webster's Chris Voukides (Salem, N.H.) swished a trey to spark a 9-0 run by the Eagles as Daris Cosby (Columbia, S.C.) connected from three-point range and then completed a three-point play with a layup and foul shot to pull Daniel Webster to within four at 34-30 at intermission.
A Voukides three-pointer to start the second half and a bucket by Eric Suarez (Brooklyn, N.Y.) two minutes later pulled the Eagles to within one a 36-35 with 17:16 to play in the game, but a trey by senior guard Cecil Avant (Southwest Ranches, Fla.) ignited an explosion of offense as the Blazers posted a 21-3 run over the next seven minutes to establish a comfortable 57-38 lead with 9:46 remaining in the game.
A three-pointer by the Eagles' Keith Speed (Columbus, Ohio) broke up the rally and cut Daniel Webster's deficit to 16 at 57-41 but they would get no closer as Elms used a 15-1 run to set the score at 72-42 with 4:51 to play. From there, the Blazers closed out the game scoring nine of the next 13 points to secure a convincing 81-46 victory.
Cecil Avant scored 10 of his 15 points in the second half while sophomore center Carson Miller (New Oxford, Pa.) totaled 11 points to give Elms three players in double figures.
Senior forward Juan Alverio (Toa Baja, Puerto Rico) hauled in a game-high 17 rebounds and dished out five assists and recorded four steals, while Cecil Avant added five helpers and three steals.
The Blazers shot 47.5-percent from the field in the second half and received 29 points from the bench. Elms also out-rebounded Daniel Webster 52-31, and scored 30 points off turnovers.
Daniel Webster was led by Cosby who was 5 of 9 from the floor including 4 of 6 from beyond the arc en route to a team-high 19 points. Suarez collected a team-best nine boards and added three blocks, while Speed and Voukides were limited to seven and six point outputs respectively.
Elms returns to NECC action on Thursday, Jan. 27 when it travels to Wheelock College for a 5:00 p.m. contest.