The men’s basketball team is now 15-6 after three intense conference games. On January 30, the Lions lost 87-85 in overtime against Gordon College but bounced back on February 2 with a 79-69 win against Salve Regina.
In the game against Gordon College, Senior Jaylen Owens (Johns Creek, Ga.) scored a season–high 29 points, but the Lions missed a game–tying layup that would have sent the game into double overtime. Gordon forward’s Garrison Duvivier (Brockton, Mass.) scored 27 points and grabbed a game-high 16 rebounds. He and his front–court teammate Sam Johnson (Chatham, Mass.) out–rebounded the lions starting lineup by eight rebounds.
Three days after their loss, ENC bounced back with a 79-69 victory over at Salve Regina. Salve Regina’s forward Nicholas Bates (Danvers, Mass.) only scored 13 points after he scored 25 points Jan. 5 in their first meeting against the Lions. Senior Lequan Gomes (Fairfield, Calif.) recorded his sixth double-double of the season with 19 points and a game–high 13 rebounds. The lions are now 8-1 in games that Lequan Gomes has started in.
The team’s senior night on February 6 resulted in a close 83-80 win against Wentworth, putting the team in a better position to earn a top seed in the Commonwealth Coast Conference tournament.
After starting the season 9-0, the Lions are just 5-6 and have dropped from first place to third place in the CCC. A big part of their early success was due to their defense. The Lions only allowed on average 60.6 points during their nine-game winning streak, but that has jumped to 73.6 points over the last 10 games. The Lions have also struggled recently with rebounding as they have been out–rebounded by the opposing team in five of their last six games.
Despite their rocky season, the Lions remain in prime position to earn a top seed in the CCC tournament. They will look to take the positive momentum off their win against Salve Regina into a home game against Wentworth, on Saturday February 6, which the Lions won 83-80. Their next conference game is at home Wednesday, February 10 against Roger Williams.