Men’s Basketball Edged by UMass Boston, 75-70

QUINCY, Mass.- The Eastern Nazarene College men's basketball team endured a 75-70 loss to UMass Boston Thursday evening at the Lahue Physical Education Center.

The Lions slide to 4-5 on the season while the Beacons improve to 6-2 overall with the result.

Corey Doran (Fairfield, Calif.) paced the home team with 21 points while adding six rebounds on the night. Christian Lynch (Alpharetta, Ga.) racked up 12 points, eight boards, and three steals in the contest. Patrick Michel (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) contributed with 11 points and eight rebounds off the bench. David Eddings (Endicott, N.Y.) posted 10 points, six boards, and six assists.

Eastern Nazarene raced out to a quick 8-4 lead on a put-back layup by Doran 3:14 after tip-off.

UMass Boston grabbed a 10-8 edge with 14:13 remaining after Dan Powers and Careem Kirksey drained threes.

The Beacons stretched their lead to eight on a fast-break layup by Iser Barnes with 5:51 left to play in the first half, 26-18.

The Lions clawed back to level the score at 28-28 as Petrilli splashed his only trey of the game with 3:46 to go in the half.

The hosts reclaimed a one-point advantage with 2:54 remaining in the period as Noah Cheney (Bend, Ore.) drilled a three-ball from the left corner, 31-30.

The guests strung together a 7-0 run to seize a 37-32 lead with under a minute on the clock.

Eastern Nazarene narrowly trailed at the half, 37-34, after Eddings converted two free throws in the waning seconds of the stanza.

Eastern Nazarene shot 45.2% from the field and 22.2% from the perimeter in the first half. UMass Boston shot 42.4% from the floor and 35.7% from three-point range in the opening frame.

The Lions pulled even 2:38 into the second half on a lay-in by Doran, 42-42.

The home side nabbed a 44-42 lead on its next trip down the court as Michel banked in a put-back bucket with 16:44 left to play.

The Beacons answered with a 6-0 stretch to take a 48-44 advantage with 12:37 to go.

Eastern Nazarene cut the deficit to one with 8:29 remaining on a mid-range jumper by Eddings, 53-52.

UMass Boston widened the gap to 65-58 on a jumper inside the key by Sam Freeman with 4:19 on the clock.

The Lions narrowed the margin to 73-70 with 22 seconds left in regulation as Lynch powered in a layup.

The Beacons sealed their third-straight win as Freeman knocked down two shots from the charity stripe down the stretch.

The Lions finished with a field-goal percentage of 43.9% while mustering two three-pointers on 16 attempts in the game. The Beacons shot 44.6% from the floor and 35.3% from beyond the arc on the night.

Barnes paced UMass Boston with a game-high 23 points while Kirksey chipped in with 17 points.

Up next, Eastern Nazarene returns to the hardwood December 30 after a 22-day hiatus to take on Worcester Polytechnic Institute on the road.