MILTON, Mass. – Visiting Eastern Nazarene handed Curry its first Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) loss of the season, 85-72, in men’s basketball action Thursday night in Milton. The Lions (11-3, 6-2 CCC) extended their win streak to five, while the Colonels (10-5, 7-1 CCC) saw their seven-game unbeaten streak come to an end.
 
Eastern Nazarene opened the game on a 12-4 run that began with a layup by senior Chima Ezeigbo (Roanoke, Va.) and was capped off with a three-pointer by junior Brian Hard (Weymouth, Mass.) with 16:56 on the clock. Curry chipped away and took its first lead of the game (33-31) after senior Sedale Jones (Pittsfield, Mass.) took advantage of a steal and converted a three-point play with 5:29 left in the first period.
 
Three minutes later, the Colonels took their largest lead of the game (45-38) after Sedale Jones sank a shot from beyond the arc. The Lions went on to outscore Curry 8-2 over the remainder of the first period, trimming their deficit to one (47-46) heading into the break.
 
The Colonels maintained their lead throughout the first 10 minutes of the second half, but Eastern Nazarene took its first lead of the frame after senior Aaron Johnson (Roslindale, Mass.) converted a pair from the charity stripe with 9:41 left in regulation. After several lead changes, the Lions took a lead they would never relinquish after Johnson sank a three-pointer. The basket gave Eastern Nazarene a 70-68 edge with 8:10 on the clock. The Lions closed out the remainder of the period on a 15-4 run.
 
Ezeigbo led all scorers with 23 points while pulling down a game-high eight rebounds. Freshman Eric Lynch (Alpharetta, Ga.) added 19 points, while classmate Jaylen Owens (Johns Creek, Ga.) scored 13. Johnson chipped in with 11.
 
Sedale Jones led Curry with a team-high 22 points. Junior Lambros Papalambros (Quincy, Mass.) recorded 19 points and five rebounds, while sophomore Antonio Jones (Boston, Mass.) contributed 14 points. Sedale Jones (9-10) and Papalambros (8-8) took all of the Colonels’ free throw attempts, combining for 94% from the charity stripe.
 
Both teams return to CCC action on Saturday at 3 p.m. The Colonels travel to Wentworth, while the Lions host Endicott.