Regis Men’s Hoop Earns Road Victory

FITCHBURG, Mass. – Regis College used the long distance shot to establish the early lead and then went into the paint to maintain its advantage in the second half as the Pride defeated Fitchburg State University, 84-68, Wednesday night in a non-conference men's collegiate basketball game at Parkinson Gymnasium.

Zakaria Latifi (Holliston, Mass.) hit seven three-pointers, six of them in the first half, as he tied his career high with 21 points, while Jamir Harvey (Robbins, Ill.) shot 7-for-11 from the field as he scored 14 points. In his hometown, Russell Rau (Fitchburg, Mass.) notched his fifth straight double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds along with three assists and three blocks, Justin Evelyn (Uniondale, N.Y.) contributed 10 points and six assists, and Cameron Wilkins (Taunton, Mass.) added eight points and six rebounds.

Evelyn hit a three-pointer on the opening possession to give the Pride a lead they would not relinquish the rest of the night. After a layup by Javon Taylor four minutes into the contest, Latifi found his stroke, hitting five three-pointers over the next six minutes to lead Regis on a 17-5 scoring run.

Late in the first half, Tryston Ofoh hit a layup to keep the Falcons within 11 points at 30-19, but the Pride responded with three-pointers from Gehrig Brynda (Deerfield, Mass.), Latifi, and Wilkins to establish their largest lead of the game at 39-19. In the final minute, Evelyn found Robert McAvoy (Norton, Mass.) underneath the basket for a layup to give Regis a 43-24 advantage heading into halftime.

Fitchburg State (2-13) fought back to bring its deficit back into single digits midway through the second half on consecutive layups by Ofoh, but Harvey responded with two straight baskets and Joshua Perez (Lynn, Mass.) followed with a jumper to extend the Pride lead back into double figures, where it would remain the rest of the game.

Matthew Drayton led the Falcons with 19 points, while Kamau Franks finished with 10 points and eight rebounds and Ofoh contributed eight points and 10 rebounds in 17 minutes off the bench. As a team, Fitchburg State shot 40 percent (26-for-65) from the field and 73.7 percent (14-for-19) from the free throw line.

The Pride made 48.4 percent (30-for-62) of their field goal attempts, including 12-for-23 from behind the three-point line, and 80 percent (12-for-15) of their free throw opportunities. Regis finished with a slight edge in rebounding, 39-38, and each team committed 11 turnovers.

Regis College (6-8) hosts GNAC newcomer Mitchell College Saturday, Jan. 13, starting at 1 p.m. at Higgins Court.