Box Score HENNIKER, N.H.- The New England College men's basketball team fell behind early and couldn't recover in their home opener against Babson College 80-73, Sunday afternoon at Bridges Gymnasium.
Following the game, the Pilgrims fall to 0-2, while the Beavers move to 2-0.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Babson started out strong during the first few possessions of the game, having a 6-0 run on NEC. The Pilgrims were able to bounce back with Kareem Octavien making a three-point jump shot, followed quickly by a layup to get the ball rolling again for the Grims. Calvin Cheek was also quick to cash in with a quick steal, following a layup to bring the Pilgrims within two points. Most of the first half, it was neck and neck, between Babson and New England, with one or two points separating them. Babson was able to capitalize on fouls and turnovers in favor of them to take the lead, 41-31, going into the second half.
NEC spent the majority of the second half trying to climb back into it. Jamal Allen took over the court by scoring 13 of his 25 points in the second half of the play. The closest that New England College could get to Babson was seven points with 2:57 (75-68) remaining, following a Devon Okowuga free throw, but they just could not seem to find their groove enough to close the gap down the stretch.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
-Jamal Allen led all scorers with 25 points as he went 8-8 from the free-throw line, including 5-9 from downtown.
-This was the third time in his career that Allen poured in 25 points in back-to-back games, as the junior sharpshooter tallied 25+ in three straight games his freshman season (Dec. 21, 2018-Jan. 8, 2019)
-Calvin Cheek filled the stat sheet with 15 points, seven rebounds, five assists, and five steals.
-Last home regular-season game loss was November 29th, 2018 against Middlebury
WHAT'S NEXT
The Pilgrims are back on the road as they head to Northern Vermont University- Lyndon on Thursday, February 26th at 6:00 pm.
