Men’s Basketball Upends the University of New England in CCC Opener, 78-67

BIDDEFORD, Maine- The Eastern Nazarene College men's basketball team extended its winning-streak to eight games with a 78-67 victory at the University of New England Wednesday evening.

The Lions rise to 8-0 on the season and 1-0 in the Commonwealth Coast Conference. The Nor'easters drop to 1-5 overall and 0-1 in league action with the loss.

Alex Jarman (Portsmouth, R.I.) tallied a team-best 21 points while also registering six rebounds, two blocks, one assist and one steal. Justin Wagner (Oklahoma City, Okla.) netted 16 points and hauled in five boards.

Jaylen Owens (Johns Creek, Ga.) posted 14 points, seven assists and six rebounds on the night. Eric Lynch (Alpharetta, Ga.) contributed with 10 points, four helpers and four boards while Christian Lynch (Alpharetta, Ga.) added eight points off the bench.

After the two squads traded the first four baskets of the game, the visitors tallied seven consecutive points to gain an 11-4 lead with 15:38 left to play in the half.

Eastern Nazarene widened the gap to 12 points with 8:31 remaining as Eric Lynch dropped in a layup, 29-17.

The Lions boasted a nine-point advantage at halftime, leading the Nor'easters 41-32.

Jarman poured in a team-high 10 points in the first half while pulling down four rebounds. Justin Wagner added eight points and four boards in the opening 20 minutes of action while Eric Lynch and Christian Lynch each notched six points.

Eastern Nazarene connected on 50% of its field-goal attempts in the first frame and 33.3% of its attempts from downtown. The University of New England shot 43.3% from the floor and 40% from long range in the opening period.

The guests stretched their lead to 15 with 9:16 remaining in the second half on a layup by Christian Lynch, 65-50.

Eastern Nazarene drained just three free throws on seven attempts at the charity stripe in the final 1:22 to hang on for its first conference win of the year.

The Lions shot 51.6% from the field in the win and 47.1% from long range. The Nor'easters posted a field-goal percentage of 44.3% on the night to go with 7-of-27 shooting from three-point distance.

Up next, Eastern Nazarene returns home to take on local rival Curry December 6.