CAMBRIDGE, MASS. - The New England College men's basketball teams picked up a dominant 90-47 victory over Lesley University in a non-conference matchup on Monday night. With the win, the Pilgrims improve their overall record to 5-2.  

The teams traded baskets early in the first half, but the Pilgrims soon found their rhythm and built a double-digit lead. Sophomore Luke Montejo (Tewksbury, Mass.) sparked the surge with a three-pointer and a layup, followed by another three-pointer from junior Mike Strazzeri (Chichester, N.H.). The momentum continued as junior Michael Hills (Baton Rouge, La.) drove into the paint for a layup, drawing a Lynx foul, and converting the free throw to push the Pilgrims lead to 13 with 8:43 remaining. NEC closed the half strong, outscoring Lesley 12-4 over the final eight minutes to take a 37-16 lead into halftime. 

NEC opened the second half with the first basket as junior Aiden MacLeod (Wilmington, Mass.) knocked down a free throw. Lesley answered with a three from Jaxon Miles, but Strazzeri immediately responded with a three of his own, to push the lead to 22. The Pilgrims defense took over, shutting down the Lynx for more than four minutes, while sophomore Josh Robie (Bethlehem, N.H.), MacLeod, and Hills added key baskets to extend the lead to 27 points. Lesley's Joseph Tarell ended the drought with a pair of free throws at the 10:44 mark, but junior Jasen Stovall (Tampa, Fla.) answered with a three-pointer to keep NEC ahead. The 'Grims continued to control both ends of the floor, as sophomore Jayden Welch (Lynn, Mass.) buried back-to-back three-pointers to push the visitors ahead as the Pilgrims secured the 90-47 win. 

Strazzeri paced the team with 15 points, a career-high 10 rebounds, and three assists while Montejo added 14 points, two steals, and six rebounds. Stovall chipped in 13 points, five rebounds, and three assists as sophomore Ryan Cuvier (Tewksbury, Mass.) recorded 11 points, seven rebounds, and one block. Hills tallied 10 points, six rebounds, and one steal for the 'Grims. The Pilgrims finished with a 62-46 rebounding advantage and outscored the Lynx in the paint 40-18.  

The Pilgrims return to action on Tuesday, December 2nd when they host non-conference opponent SUNY Cobleskill with a 5:00 PM tip off. 

For continuing coverage of New England College Athletics, visit athletics.nec.edu and follow the Pilgrims on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.