Men’s Basketball Hosts Roger Williams in Commonwealth Coast Conference Quarterfinals Tuesday
The Storyline
The Eastern Nazarene College men's basketball team will host a Commonwealth Coast Conference Tournament quarterfinal game for the fourth year in a row February 23. The Lions will battle Roger Williams at 7:00 pm at the Lahue Physical Education Center.
Bracket Breakdown
Eastern Nazarene claimed the #3 seed in the Commonwealth Coast Conference Tournament, setting up a quarterfinal matchup against sixth-seeded Roger Williams. Nichols claimed the top seed and will take on #8 Western New England in the opening round. Wentworth nabbed the second seed and will host the No. 7 seed University of New England in the quarterfinals. Fourth-seeded Endicott will welcome nearby-rival Gordon, the No. 5 seeded team, in the first round. Click here to view bracket.
Scouting the Lions
Eastern Nazarene posted an 18-7 overall record in the regular season to go with a 12-6 mark in the Commonwealth Coast Conference. The Lions are led by senior Jaylen Owens with 17.5 points per game while Lequan Gomes ranks second on the team, averaging 14.1 points per game this season. Justin Wagner and Eric Lynch also average double-figures in scoring with 10.5 and 10.3 points per contest, respectively.
Scouting the Hawks
Roger Williams sports a 10-15 record on the year and finished the regular season with an 8-10 mark in league play. Nick Marini paces the Hawks with 11.4 points per game while Austin Coene is averaging 10. 4 points per contest.
Lions vs. Hawks This Season
ENC at RWU – January 19, 2016
In the first game this season between the two teams, the Lions erased a 12-point halftime deficit and squeezed out a 64-61 win on the road. Lequan Gomes paved the way with 17 points while Jaylen Owens netted 13 points.
ENC vs. RWU – February 10, 2016
Eastern Nazarene clinched the regular-season series sweep with a 73-60 victory over Roger Williams at home. Jaylen Owens led the Lions with 15 points while Eric Lynch and Justin Wagner each poured in 14 points.
All-Time Series vs. Roger Williams
Eastern Nazarene boasts an all-time record of 35-23 against Roger Williams, dating back to the 1971-72 season. The Lions have won seven straight games against the Hawks, including both contests this season.
Deja RWU
Eastern Nazarene and Roger Williams clashed last season in the Commonwealth Coast Conference quarterfinals. The third-seeded Lions topped the No. 6 seed Hawks 61-46 to reach the CCC semifinals for the second time in three years.
Club Member No. 31
Senior Eric Lynch became the 31st player in program history to accrue 1,000 career points February 16, 2016. Lynch currently has 1,014 career points to his credit.
Climbing the All-Time Scoring List
Senior Jaylen Owens cracked the top-10 on the program's all-time scoring list this season. Owens sits at seventh on the list with 1,722 career points.
Getting Buckets
Eastern Nazarene paces the conference in field-goal percentage with 45.3% on the year. Eric Lynch leads all league players with a field-goal percentage of 53.6% while Lequan Gomes ranks fourth with a shooting percentage of 51.6%.
Long Distance Calling
The Lions are shooting 36.9% from the perimeter this season, ranking first in the Commonwealth Coast Conference. Justin Wagner ranks second in the league with a shooting percentage of 41.1% from beyond the arc while Jeremy Wagner has connected on 38.9% of his attempts from three-point range to rank seventh.
Dropping Dimes
Eastern Nazarene is averaging a conference-high 16.0 assists per game this season. Senior Jaylen Owens ranks third in the league with 4.2 helpers per contest.
Gomes on the Glass
Senior Lequan Gomes ranks fifth in the conference with 6.0 defensive rebounds per game while also ranking sixth in the league with 8.0 boards per game.
Defend The Den
Eastern Nazarene has posted a 10-3 record on its home court this season. Since the 2012-13 season, the Lions have won 43 games at the Lahue Physical Education Center.
Hot Start
Eastern Nazarene opened the 2015-16 campaign with nine consecutive wins. During its 9-0 start, the Lions garnered votes in the D3Hoops.com National Poll for the first time in program history. Eastern Nazarene's first loss of the season came January 2, 2016 on a buzzer-beating three-pointer as nationally-ranked WPI escaped with a 67-65 win.
Men's Basketball at ENC
The Eastern Nazarene College men's basketball program is in the midst of its 60th season of play. The program's first year of play came back in 1956-57 and the Crusaders won all six contests. Eastern Nazarene has collected 782 all-time wins in approximately 1,500 games.