Box Score QUINCY, Mass. The New England College men's basketball team fell to Eastern Nazarene College 92-72 in a battle of the top two seeds in the New England Collegiate Conference, Wednesday evening.

Following the game, the Pilgrims drop to 11-5 overall and 3-2 in the conference, while the Lions improve to 9-8 on the year and 5-0 in league action.

HOW IT HAPPENED
Each team traded baskets to start the game as there was a 5-5 tie just over a minute into the game. The Lions then scored five straight points to claim the lead at 10-5. From there things evened up but Eastern Nazarene was able to hold on to the lead as they kept pace with the Pilgrims scoring. However, New England College was able to chip away at the lead as they tied things up at 21-21 off a Michael Tavilla layup just about eight minutes into the game. Despite the Push from the Pilgrims the Lions found themselves up 36-32 with five minutes remaining in the half. Eastern Nazarene then went on a 13-4 run to head into halftime with a 49-36 lead. Stephen Fama led NEC in the first half with nine points while Garrett Crandell had 11 for the Lions.

New England College scored first in the second half but Eastern Nazarene maintained control as they held a 58-48 lead with 12 minutes left in the game. The Lions then took a 12-2 run to extend their lead to 70-50 just four minutes later. Eastern continued to control the game as they were up 87-66 with two minutes remaining in regulation. Eastern Nazarene went on to win the game 92-72.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS
-Jamal Allen led all scorers with 25 points.
- The Lions shot 55 percent from the field on the night and outrebounded the Pilgrim 44-33.
-After the game, the all-time series is now 24-13 in favor of Eastern Nazarene.

WHAT'S NEXT
The Pilgrims head to Worcester Mass. for their fourth straight NECC game against the Hawks of Becker College. The game is set to take place at 3:00 pm on Saturday, January 25^th.