Men’s Hoops Collects Crucial Conference Win Over SUNY Delhi, 78-72

QUINCY, Mass.- The Eastern Nazarene College men's basketball team picked up a key North Atlantic Conference victory over SUNY Delhi Saturday afternoon, prevailing 78-72 at the Lahue Athletic Center in the final home game of the season.

THE BASICS:
Score: Eastern Nazarene 78, SUNY Delhi 72
Records: Lions (7-16, 4-8 NAC) | Broncos (11-11, 6-6 NAC)

                               
HOW IT HAPPENED:

• Eastern Nazarene rolled out to a 12-2 lead five minutes into the game.
• SUNY Delhi responded with eight consecutive points to cut the deficit to 12-10 with 13:36 remaining in the first half.
• The Lions closed out the opening frame with a basket by Darrell Hardge (Hialeah, Fla.) and a pair of free throws by Isiah Johnson III (Tampa, Fla.) to hold a 39-26 advantage at the intermission.
• The Broncos trimmed the gap to 52-49 with 11:07 left to play on a trey by Lester McCarthy.
• Eastern Nazarene stretched the margin to 66-54 as Elijah Bishop (St. Louis, Mo.) sank a pair of free throws with 5:48 on the clock.
• The home side converted 4-of-4 from the charity stripe in the final 30 seconds of regulation to seal a pivotal 78-72 win.
  

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE:        

• Martinie Kamga (Yaounde, Cameroon) poured in a game-high 21 points to go with eight rebounds.
• Elijah Bishop (St. Louis, Mo.) tallied 12 points on the afternoon.
• Darrell Hardge (Hialeah, Fla.) registered 11 points, six assists, and two steals.
• Fahad Tarjali (Amman, Jordan) finished with nine points and six boards in his second-straight start.
• Joey Hanlon (Pembroke, Mass.) and Khabri Davis (Peoria, Ariz.) both netted eight points off the bench.
• Eastern Nazarene shot 45.2% from the floor and 33.3% from behind the arc.
• SUNY Delhi concluded the contest with a field-goal percentage of 42.4% while connecting on 9-of-24 from three-point territory.
• Lester McCarthy paced the Broncos with 17 points while Isiah Barnes and Gustarling Louis each recorded 12 points.                 
   

LOOKING AHEAD:
Eastern Nazarene treks to SUNY Poly February 9 for another key league clash.