MILTON, Mass. – Curry College was topped by visiting Eastern Nazarene, 83-67, in Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) men's basketball action Saturday afternoon in Milton. The Lions improved to 8-1 on the season and 2-1 in CCC play, while the Colonels fell to 2-6 overall and 1-2 in CCC action.
With 13:29 left in the first half, senior Lambros Papalambros (Quincy, Mass.) made a layup to give Curry an early 14-8 lead. Eastern Nazarene went on a 13-2 run to close the first period, taking a 39-30 edge at halftime. The run started after sophomore Justin Wagner (Oklahoma City, Okla.) sank a three-pointer with 4:59 on the clock and was capped off with another three-pointer by freshman Zach Tonello (Bourne, Mass.).
With 12:36 remaining in regulation, the Lions extended their lead to 17 (61-44) after freshman Christian Lynch (Alpharetta, Ga.) sank a shot from beyond the arc. The Colonels answered with a 13-2 run, trimming the deficit to six (63-57) with 7:17 on the clock. Curry couldn't complete the comeback attempt as Eastern Nazarene went on to score 20 of the game's final 30 points, accounting for the 83-67 final.
Sophomore Jaylen Owens (Johns Creek, Ga.) led the Lions with a game-high 20 points. Sophomore Eric Lynch and classmate Alex Jarman (Portsmouth, R.I.) added 17 and 15, respectively. Sophomore Jeremy Wagner (Oklahoma City, Okla.) pulled down a team-high nine boards.
The Colonels were led by freshman Rodney Beldo (Dorchester, Mass.) with a team-high 19 points. Junior Antonio Jones (Dorchester, Mass.) chipped in with 15 points, while Papalambros scored 11 and recorded a team-high nine rebounds.
Both teams return to CCC action on Tuesday, as Eastern Nazarene hosts Roger Williams for a 7:00 p.m. contest, while Curry faces-off against visiting Nichols for a 7:00 p.m. tip-off.
