Pride Men’s Hoop Holds On for GNAC Victory

WESTON, Mass. – Regis College held the lead for the vast majority of the game, holding off a late rally by Elms College as the Pride defeated the Blazers, 78-74, Monday night in a Great Northeast Athletic Conference men's basketball game at Higgins Court.

Cameron Wilkins (Taunton, Mass.) shot 8-for-13 from the field as he led the Pride with 18 points and four assists, while Marc Trinidad (Bronx, N.Y.) notched his second double-double of the season with 16 points and a team-high 13 rebounds. Zakaria Latifi (Holliston, Mass.) scored eight of his 10 points in the first half, Joshua Perez (Lynn, Mass.) collected nine points, three rebounds, three assists, and three steals, and Thomas Ahlstrom (San Antonio, Texas) added eight points, seven rebounds, and four assists.

Latifi opened the scoring with a three-pointer, but the combination of Tahquell Cadle and Vashon Wilson scored nine of the next 11 points to give Elms a 9-5 lead. After Latifi and Cadle exchanged three-pointers, the Pride scored the next eight points to take the lead for good at 18-12, and then they would put together a 13-2 scoring run to extend their advantage to the largest of the night at 33-19 with 5:51 left in the first half.

The Blazers battled back by scoring 10 unanswered points over the next three-and-a-half minutes, bookended by three-pointers from Justin Feliciano and David Lopez. The teams exchanged baskets over the final two minutes of the first half, with Regis taking a 37-33 lead into the locker room at halftime.

Elms closed to within one early in the second half on an offensive rebound and putback by Wilson, but the Pride rattled off 11 straight points, punctuated by a three-pointer from Wilkins and a layup by Trinidad. Regis would maintain a multiple-possession lead through most of the second half before Elms made one final push in the final five minutes, starting a 7-0 scoring run with a three-pointer by D.J. Edelen to close its deficit to three at 70-67 with 2:34 remaining in regulation.

After a jumper by Ahlstrom and one made free throw from Trinidad, Roy McKeithen was fouled attempting a three-pointer and made the first two free throws before missing the third. Feliciano grabbed the rebound and fed McKeithen, who hit a three-pointer to bring the Blazers within one at 73-72 with 29 seconds left. Down by two with four seconds showing on the clock, Elms attempted a long pass, but it forced Lopez to step out of bounds for the turnover, and Ahlstrom iced the game with two made free throws.

Edelen led the Blazers with 17 points, while Wilson notched a double-double with 16 points and 14 rebounds. Lopez scored 12 points, Feliciano contributed 10 points, five assists, and three steals off the bench, and Cadle added eight points, 10 rebounds, six assists, and three steals.

Elms shot 35.6 percent (26-for-73) from the field, including 10-for-33 from behind the three-point line, and 75 percent (12-for-16) from the free throw line. The Blazers won the rebounding battle, 48-42, including 15 offensive rebounds that led to 22 second chance points.

As a team, the Pride shot 44.6 percent (29-for-65) from the field and 69.6 percent (16-for-23) from the free throw line. Regis scored 21 points off 19 Elms turnovers on the way to earning its first victory of the 2022 calendar year.

With Wednesday's scheduled game against Johnson & Wales postponed, Regis College (5-6, 2-3 GNAC) is not slated to play again until Thursday, Jan. 20, at Anna Maria starting at 5 p.m. Elms College (0-11, 0-6 GNAC) hosts University of Saint Joseph this Wednesday, Jan. 12, with a 7 p.m. tipoff.