Regis Men’s Hoop Holds On for Victory in GNAC Opener

WESTON, Mass. - Five players scored in double figures as Regis College raced out to an early lead and then held on to defeat Elms College, 72-70, Saturday afternoon in a Great Northeast Athletic Conference men's collegiate basketball game at Higgins Court.

Russell Rau (Fitchburg, Mass.) led the Pride with 16 points, eight rebounds, and four assists, while Jamir Harvey (Robbins, Ill.) contributed 13 points and five rebounds off the bench. Zakaria Latifi (Holliston, Mass.) and Justin Evelyn (Uniondale, N.Y.) scored 11 points apiece, and Devante Thompson (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) contributed 10 points to the winning effort.

After Elms scored the first basket of the game, Regis went on an 11-2 scoring run, capped by a three-pointer from Evelyn, to pull ahead by seven points. The Pride extended their lead into double figures thanks to a 9-2 scoring run midway through the first half, and then they scored eight straight points over the final four minutes of the half to take a 38-20 advantage into the locker room at halftime.

Evelyn hit another three-pointer two-and-a-half minutes into the second half to give Regis its largest lead of the game at 45-25, but Elms started its comeback with 12 unanswered points over the next three minutes, featuring three-pointers by Jaijuan Macklin and Jake Midura. The Blazers eventually closed to within four points at 54-50 on a Midura made free throw, but the Pride responded with five straight points thanks in part to consecutive jumpers from Rau and Harvey.

Within the final two-and-a-half-minutes of regulation, the Blazers closed to within two points on three occasions, but Rau responded with baskets the first two times and Joshua Perez (Lynn, Mass.) hit two free throws with 24 seconds remaining to extend the Regis advantage back to four points. Tahquell Cadle hit a jumper with five seconds left to bring Elms back within two, but the Blazers could not take advantage of two missed Regis free throws, as a final three-point shot attempt was off target.

Elms also featured five players scoring in double figures, led by Cadle with 18 points, six rebounds, and four assists, while RJ Mayfield finished with 16 points. Dominique Threatt collected 13 points, Midura contributed 11 points, and Macklin added 10 points and six rebounds.

After scoring just 20 points in the first half, Elms scored 50 points in the second half on 61.3 percent (19-for-31) field goal shooting. For the game, the Blazers shot 48.3 percent (28-for-58) from the field, including 3-for-11 from behind the three-point line, and 64.7 percent (11-for-17) from the free throw line, plus they scored 21 points off 17 Regis turnovers.

The Pride shot 45.5 percent (25-for-55) from the field, including 6-for-18 from behind the three-point line, and 72.7 percent (16-for-22) from the free throw line.

Regis College (5-2, 1-0 GNAC) travels to Providence, R.I., to face Johnson and Wales University Wednesday, Dec. 7, starting at 7:30 p.m. Elms College (1-7, 0-1 GNAC) hosts University of Saint Joseph Wednesday beginning at 7 p.m.