BOSTON, Mass. – Junior Xeo Golding (Windemere, Fla.) scored 20 points to lead four players in double figures as the Lesley University men's basketball team won its third straight game with a 72-63 win over Wentworth Institute of Technology in non-conference action Tuesday night.
With the win the Lynx improve to 3-1 on the season while the Leopards fall to 2-2.
Wentworth jumped out to an 11-4 lead three minutes into the game , capped off by a layup from senior Jason Ganley (Northbridge, Mass.). Sophomore Stephen Azums (Hyde Park, Mass.) scored four points during the run. A three pointer from Golding eventually brought the score to 15-12, however, senior Ben Kizel (Short Hills, N.J.) hit a three bringing the lead to six. After a freshman Chase Howard (San Diego, Calif.) jumper made it 18-14 with 11:47 remaining, a layup from Azums and a three from Ganley gave the hosts their largest lead of the half at nine (23-14)
Lesley pulled within two when Howard hit a jumper with 3:35 remaining and a transition layup from senior Marquise Johnson (Hampton, Va.) tied the game at 34-all. The score would be tied two more times, including when Johnson made a layup with 14 seconds left to make it a 38-all game at the break. The Leopards shot 57.1 percent from the floor while the Lynx connected on 50 percent of their shots from the floor.
A 7-0 run by the Leopards early in the second half gave the Black & Gold a 47-40 lead with 16:05 remaining. Ganley had the last five points of the run and, after Howard hit a three, he put the Leopards ahead 50-43 with 15:28 left. Lesley used an 11-0 run, capped off by a Golding jumper to take a 53-50 lead with 10:27 remaining. However, Wentworth countered with an 8-0 run of its own, capped off by a Ganley transition jumper to take a 58-53 lead with 6:36 left.
The Lynx outscored the Leopards 14-2 to take a 67-60 lead with 2:39 remaining after a junior Joey Martin (Melbourne, Fla.) layup. Two free throws from Martin extended the lead to 69-60 and one of two from the line from sophomore Jordan Bellitti (Cambridge, Mass.) made it a 10-point game before Kizel drained a three to cut the lead to 70-63 with 1:09 remaining. However, that would be as close Wentworth would come.
Johnson went 6-for-9 from the floor, scoring 15 points to go along with eight rebounds and three assists. Martin added 14 points and six rebounds while Howard scored 13 points.
Azums paced the Leopards with 18 points on 8-for-11 shooting to go along with 16 rebounds. Ganley added 15 points and three assists, Kizel chipped in with nine points, and sophomore Matt Vartanian (Salem, N.H.) added eight points.
Wentworth is idle until the Leopards travel to Curry to open Commonwealth Coast Conference play on Wednesday, November 29.
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