Pride Men’s Hoop Defeats Albertus Magnus in Senior Day Thriller

WESTON, Mass. - For the first time in program history, Regis College defeated Albertus Magnus College in men's basketball action, as the Pride prevailed over the Falcons, 93-91, Saturday afternoon in a Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) contest at Higgins Court.

Five players reached double figures in scoring for the Pride, led by Russell Rau (Fitchburg, Mass.) with 20 points, including five three-pointers, and eight rebounds. Jamir Harvey (Robbins, Ill.) shot 7-for-10 from the field as he finished with 18 points, eight rebounds, and five assists, while Devante Thompson (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) collected 13 points and eight rebounds. Zakaria Latifi (Holliston, Mass.) contributed 12 points off the bench, and Justin Evelyn (Uniondale, N.Y.) added 10 points, three rebounds, five assists, and two steals.

After a layup by Saikwon Williams pulled the Falcons within two early in the second half, Regis rattled off 12 unanswered points, starting with seven straight points from Joshua Perez (Lynn, Mass.), to open its largest lead of the game at 61-47. The Pride would maintain a significant lead over the next few minutes, with a traditional three-point play from Thompson increasing Regis' advantage to 73-64 with 9:13 left in the second half.

Kevin Crawford made two free throws followed by a three-pointer in the next minute to bring the Falcons within two at 73-71, and then two made free throws by Avery Hinnant tied the contest at 73-73. Albertus Magnus pulled ahead by two with 5:13 remaining in regulation on layups by Terry Dawkins and Malcolm Duncanson, but Rau put Regis back on top on the next possession with a three-pointer, and Latifi hit a three-pointer to extend the Pride lead to 82-77 with 4:10 showing on the clock.

The Falcons closed to within one at 84-83 on a layup by Dawkins, but two made free throws apiece from Rau and Latifi increased the Pride lead back to five points. Albertus Magnus used two made free throws each from Dawkins and Duncanson to pull back within one at 88-87, and then a layup by Hinnant once again brought the Falcons within one point at 92-91 with 24 seconds left in regulation.

Albertus Magnus (14-9, 12-4 GNAC) could not take advantage of missed free throws by Regis, eventually committing an offensive foul with six seconds remaining. After being fouled, Evelyn made one of two free throws, and the Falcons' final desperation shot attempt sailed wide as the buzzer sounded.

Dawkins shot 10-for-17 from the field and 9-for-13 from the free throw line as he led all players with 29 points and nine rebounds, while Duncanson finished with 14 points, seven rebounds, and three steals. As a team, Albertus Magnus shot 43.1 percent (31-for-72) from the field and 75.0 percent (24-for-32) from the free throw line, plus it scored 33 points off 24 Regis turnovers and won the rebounding battle, 40-35, including 19 offensive boards leading to 22 second chance points.

The Pride finished with a season-best field goal percentage of 54.5 percent (30-for-55), including 11-for-27 from behind the three-point line, and shot 68.8 percent (22-for-32) from the free throw line. It was Regis' first victory over Albertus Magnus in nine meetings, all taking place since the 2017-18 season, and it propelled the Pride into a tie for third place with Dean and Johnson & Wales in the GNAC South Division.

Before Saturday's game, seniors Evelyn, Latifi, and Thompson were recognized in a Senior Day presentation.

Regis College (13-10, 9-7 GNAC) plays its final two regular season games on the road, starting Tuesday, Feb. 14, against Saint Joseph's College at 7:30 p.m. The Pride then face Dean next Saturday, Feb. 18, beginning at 3 p.m. in a game that could play a major role in determining who qualifies for the GNAC Tournament.