Men’s Basketball Claws Past Roger Williams, 68-57

QUINCY, Mass.- The Eastern Nazarene College men's basketball team rallied past Roger Williams, 68-57, Tuesday evening at the Lahue Physical Education Center.

The Lions improve to 17-2 on the year and 10-2 in the Commonwealth Coast Conference with the victory. The Hawks fall to 7-13 overall and 5-8 in league games with the loss.

Jaylen Owens (Johns Creek, Ga.) netted 17 points and dished out seven assists on the night. Eric Lynch (Alpharetta, Ga.) posted 14 points, four assists and four rebounds. Justin Wagner (Oklahoma City, Okla.) finished with 11 points, five boards and a pair of steals. Christian Lynch (Alpharetta, Ga.) and Jeremy Wagner (Oklahoma City, Okla.) each tallied 10 points in the win.

The visitors established an early lead of 12-4 after 3:39 had elapsed.

Eastern Nazarene battled back to tie the score at 17-17 with 10:06 remaining in the half as Alex Jarman (Portsmouth, R.I.) tossed in a layup.

Roger Williams reclaimed a nine-point advantage with 5:31 on the clock as Josh McCourt drained a trey, 28-19.

The Lions cut the deficit to one point just before the halftime buzzer as Owens sank a pair of free throws, 32-31.

Owens poured in a team-high 15 points in the opening stanza while Eric Lynch chipped in with six.

Eastern Nazarene sported a field-goal percentage of 46.2% at the break while knocking down 5-of-8 attempts from the perimeter. Roger Williams shot 45.2% from the floor and 16.7% from three-point distance in the first frame.

The hosts utilized a 9-4 run to start the second half and grab a 43-36 lead with 16:09 remaining.

The Lions widened the margin to 53-40 with 10:30 left to play as Justin Wagner made two shots from the charity stripe.

Eastern Nazarene went 4-for-6 from the free throw line in the final minute of regulation to wrap up its third consecutive win.

The Lions finished with a field-goal percentage of 46.9% on the evening while draining 56.3% of their attempts from long range. The Hawks shot 38.2% from the floor despite connecting on 21.4% from beyond the arc.

Ryan Palumbo paced the Hawks with 14 points while McCourt finished with 10 points.

Up next, Eastern Nazarene hits the road to face off against Endicott in a crucial league showdown February 5.