BOSTON – Suffolk men's basketball took a 63-55 decision over Eastern Nazarene Saturday afternoon at Larry E. and Michael S. Smith Court.
THE BASICS
SCORE: Suffolk 63 | Eastern Nazarene 55
RECORDS: Suffolk (2-0) | Eastern Nazarene (2-2)
HOW IT HAPPENED
Suffolk jumped out to an 11-3 lead that turned into a 19-10 edge with under eight minutes to go before half time.
Kobe Jones and Nick Manso sunk back-to-back triples for the Lions that trimmed the Rams advantage to three, 19-16, with 5:18 left in the first frame.
The teams went hoop-for-hoop to close out the opening half and Suffolk never game up the lead to head into half time up 25-22.
Suffolk used its inside game to slowly build a double-digit distance, 42-32, at the 12:55 mark.
ENC managed to get the gap back to two possessions before Suffolk scored six in a row to restore a comfortable cushion, 48-36, with 8:42 remaining in regulation.
The game of swings continued as the Lions put together their own 6-0 stretch and once again it was a six-point game, 48-42, with exactly 6:00 left in the second half.
As time went down the teams continued to answer one another with their offensive outputs to keep things close, three points to be exact, 55-52, with 1:45 remaining on the clock.
Jeff Juron used a timeout to help his team gain some composure. Out of the huddle, Keenan Robertson made a lay-up and stole the ball on the Lions next possession to force the visitors into the foul game.
The gamble ended up paying off for the Rams as they went 6-for-6 at the line down the stretch to preserve the victory.
STATISTICALLY SPEAKING
- Robertson recorded a 19-point, 12-rebound double-double with five helpers and two steals.
- Aidan Sullivan chipped in 13 points, three takeaways, two dimes and two boards.
- William Rowe had an all-around effort of eight points, six caroms and two handouts.
- Cole LeVangie added eight points, two assists and one rebound.
- Suffolk shot 48.1 percent (25-52) from the floor, just 22.7 percent (5-22) from 3-point range and did not miss from the charity stripe (8-8).
- Eastern Nazarene, who put together a 32.3 connection rate from the floor, saw two players in double figures as well in Manso, who dropped a game-high 18 points, and Bernie McGuiness, who had 15 points to his credit.
- Suffolk outrebounded the Lions, 37-29.
- Over half of the Rams 63 points came in the paint (36).
- The Lions took advantage of Suffolk's 20 turnovers, turning the mishaps into 24 points.
NOTEWORTHY
- Suffolk and Eastern Nazarene met for the first time since Nov. 19, 2013.
- The Rams and Lions tangled for the 39th time overall.
- Suffolk defeated ENC for the first time since Nov. 15, 2011.
- The Rams moved to 19-20 all-time against Eastern Nazarene.
- At Suffolk, the Rams improved to 9-7 versus the Lions.
- Suffolk is unbeaten, 1-0, against Eastern Nazarene under Juron's guidance.
- Robertson registered the fourth double-double of his collegiate career, first of the season.
- Robertson pulled down a personal-best 12 boards and matched a career-high five assists.
POST-GAME PIC
WHAT'S NEXT?
Suffolk takes its talents to Emerson Tuesday, Nov. 22 for a pre-Thanksgiving outing. Tip-off across the Boston Commons is scheduled for 4:00 p.m.
