WESTON, Mass. – Ahmad Charles (Cambridge, Mass.) nailed five three-pointers en route to a career-high 27 points as Regis College defeated Lesley University 71-59 on Tuesday night in New England Collegiate Conference action in Weston, Mass. The Pride improves to 9-12 overall and 6-6 in the NECC with the win, while Lesley dips below .500 at 10-11 overall and 6-7 in league games.
Charles finished the game 10-of-13 from the field, including a 5-of-7 showing from behind the arc, while also grabbing five rebounds and swiping three steals.
The opening half was a back and forth battle as there were five lead changes in the opening five minutes of action. Matt Gibson's (Quincy, Mass.) free throw with 13:53 remaining gave Lesley an early 12-9 lead. Minutes later, a pair of Charles free throws followed by a fast-break layup from LaQuinn Shuler (White Plains, N.Y.) took the lead back for the Pride. The lead was short-lived, however, as Bryant Itonyo (Medford, Mass.) buried a deep three to break an 18-all tie and stake the Lynx to another small lead.
Lesley stretched its lead out to five points before the Pride battled back to take a 26-23 lead on a Charles layup. Lesley tied the game at 28-all but the Pride quickly built a four point lead on back-to-back baskets from Ryan Chambers (Abington, Mass.). LaQuinn Shuler's jumper with 10 seconds left gave Regis a five point lead that ended the first half which saw five ties and 12 lead changes between the two squads.
Charles netted 17 points in the opening frame to lead all scorers. Ryan Chambers chipped in with nine points while Jonathan Josselin (Medford, Mass.) and Ethan Peana (Staten Island, N.Y.) each grabbed four rebounds in the period. Lesley was led by seven points apiece from Kris Bennett (Las Vegas, Nev.) and current NECC Player of the Week John Sanchez (Carson, Calif.).
Ahmad Charles picked up where he left off in the first half as he buried a three and tipped home a Ryan Chambers miss for a personal 5-0 run that prompted a Lesley timeout with the Lynx down 10. Lesley would cut the lead to eight on a layup by Bennett with 16:31 remaining but the Pride went on a 14-5 run over the next six minutes to take a 17 point lead at 60-43. Lesley chipped away at the free throw line as Bennett and Sanchez each buried a pair of freebies to make it a 12 points game with 6:41 remaining.
That would be as close as the Lynx would get, however, as Ahmad Charles buried a deep three as the shot clock expired and followed that up with a layup in similar fashion on the ensuing possession to give Regis a 19 point lead and seal the victory for the Pride.
The Pride won the battle on the boards (37-26) while picking up 11 steals and notching seven blocks. Regis outscored the Lynx in the paint (28-18) while scoring 15 second chance points.
Ryan Chambers joined Charles in double-digits with 12 points and also added four assists. Robert Edwards (Memphis, Tenn.) scored 11 points and had a pair of blocks, while Ethan Peana had four points to go along with a game-high nine rebounds and three assists. Jonathan Josselin had an all-around game with six points, five rebounds, and five assists.
Kris Bennett went 4-of-5 from the field en route to a team-high 12 points and seven rebounds for the Lynx. Bryant Itonyo and John Sanchez added 11 points apiece and Valentine Emebo (Dorchester, Mass.) came off the bench to grab six rebounds.
The Crimson and Gold return to action on Thursday when the Pride takes on Newbury College in another NECC bout at 7:00 p.m. Lesley travels to Becker College on Thursday for an 8:00 p.m. tip against the Hawks.