Leicester, Mass. - Terrance Favors (Boston, Mass.) scored 15 points while doling out six assists as Becker continued its success the New England Collegiate Conference, defeating Wheelock, 77-49, in men's basketball action Saturday afternoon at the Leicester Gym. It was the 30th consecutive conference victory for Becker, dating back to a February 9th, 2010 loss at Elms College nearly two years ago. The Hawks soar to 16-4 with an 11-0 NECC record, while the Wildcats drop to 10-10 and 8-4 in the conference.
Jerome Cohen (Boston, Mass.) set the tone for Becker early on, scoring two quick baskets and anchoring an interior defense that held the visiting Wheelock offense. The Hawks fast-break attack had the Wildcats back on their heels for much of the first half, as the hosts jetted out to a 21-6 advantage, a run capped off by a layup from Lee Brockett (Waterbury, Conn.). The Hawks would extend their lead to 17 when Favors saved a ball going out of bounds, flipping it to Brockett who buried a 3-pointer as Becker went up 32-14 with 3:36 left in the first half. It was all part of a 12-2 Hawk run that saw the Hawks go up by as much as 21 before a late spurt by Wheelock, including a 3-pointer from Andrew Kirkman (Dartmouth, Mass.) brought the Wildcats a brief respite. Nevertheless, Becker entered halftime up 39-21. Favors and Brockett each had ten points in the opening period, as the Hawks led in virtually every major statistical category.
Wheelock continued to show signs of life in the second half, playing Becker evenly for the first several minutes until an 11-1 Hawks run midway through the period. The hosts stretched their lead to 57-30 off a put-back from Brockett with 8:22 remaining. With 6:01 left, Rajal Leggett (New Haven, Conn.) exploded to the rim with a fast-break dunk, eliciting roars from the crowd and putting the Hawks up by 29. Becker's Stanley Cunningham (New Haven, Conn.) came off the bench to receive a fast-break layup with two minutes left, and moments later the Hawks took their largest lead of the game, going up by 33 after a pair of free throws by Terrell Shelton (West Warwick, R.I.).
Favors' 15 points were a game-high, and he is now just three points short of 1500 for his career. He also added four rebounds, a pair of blocks and two steals. Brockett had 13 points while shooting 5-of-7 from the floor, all while pulling down five rebounds. Leggett scored 12 points while finishing with a game-high 11 rebounds. Cohen contributed in all areas with 10 points, five rebounds, two assists, a pair of steals and a block. Yahmad Rountree (Waterbury, Conn.) came off the bench to score 10 points with five rebounds and a game-high three blocks.
Max Kaim (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) was the only Wildcat in double-figures, finishing with 12 points and two steals. Bashir Hudson (Jamaica Plain, Mass.) pulled down 10 rebounds while scoring nine points. Kyle Pierce (Burlington, Mass.) had a game-high four steals with four assists and six rebounds. Eric Rice (Woburn, Mass.) added nine points.
Becker is back in action on Tuesday, February 7th, as they play host to the Blazers of Elms in a 7p.m. matchup. Wheelock will host the Nighthawks of Newbury in their next contest, also on Tuesday.