MBB Comes Up Short at Lesley

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – Lesley University broke a 38-38 halftime tie by outscoring the Mariners 35-13 over the first 13:46 of the second half in the Lynx 83-68 victory over Mitchell College in New England Collegiate Conference men's basketball play Tuesday night at the Nicholas Athletics Center.

John Sanchez led all players with 22 points on 11-for-14 shooting and dished out a game-high 11 assists to only two turnovers in his first double-double of the season. Bryant Itonyo shot 4-for-9 from three-point range for 14 points to lead a Lynx aerial attack that shot a scorching 13-for-25 (52 percent) from downtown as Lesley improved to 11-12 and 7-8 in NECC play.

The Lynx knocked down nine first-half three-pointers in creating what was a 10-point lead, but Mitchell went 5-for-7 from distance in the first half, including back-to-back treys from senior Enoch Contreras and sophomore Joshua Ford that tied the contest at 38-38 at the break. Itonyo and Matt Gibson each knocked down two triples in the first, including one from Gibson that sent the Lynx up 36-26, but Ford led a 12-2 run with a pair of baskets to force a tie at the break.

Gibson scored on a reverse lay-up and a baseline spin move as Lesley took a 44-38 lead out of the half, and Itonyo's third three made it a 49-40 game inside the 15:00 mark. His fourth and final trey ignited a 12-0 Lesley run that sunk the Mariners for good at 73-51 in the final six minutes.

Gibson finished 13 points on 5-for-7 shooting and Justin Rosa rounded out four Lynx in double figures with 12.

Ford led Mitchell (5-17 overall, 3-12 NECC) with 20 points and tied with Lesley's Kris Bennett for game-high honors with seven rebounds. Senior Terrance Fisher and Contreras each added 11 points, the latter handing out a team-best six assists with only two turnovers.

Mitchell will close out the regular season against league leader Becker College on Saturday, February 18 at noon. The Mariners will honor their five seniors in a pre-game ceremony.