QUINCY, Mass. - Led by Jarrell Jackson’s (Brockton, MA) 29 points, visiting Curry defeated Eastern Nazarene, 91-79, in The Commonwealth Coast Conference (TCCC) action Saturday afternoon in Quincy. Jackson shot 11 of 17 from the field, to go along with six rebounds, seven assists and four steals.
Down by four at the half, 40-36, the Lions opened the second half with a 10-6 run capped by a strong inside move in the paint by Chima Ezeigbo (Roanoke, VA). But Jackson kept the visitors on track, scoring 10 of his team’s next 21 points and giving the Colonels a 67-62 lead. Curry’s Mark Mastrullo (Billerica, MA) also connected on some timely shots, including one from NBA three-point depth.
The Lions (4-17, 2-7 TCCC) would not go away though, as Max Barbosa (Dorchester, MA) finished a fast break with 8:39 left in the game to pull the hosts back to within three, 67-64. The Colonels (10-10, 7-2 TCCC) responded with a 14-6 run that resulted in an 80-71 cushion.
The game started with the Colonels taking the early 14-11 lead as the teams traded baskets through the first five minutes. Another 9-6 run over the next five minutes lifted the Colonels to a 23-16 lead. The teams played evenly over the last five minutes of the opening frame, with the Lions closing the gap to 40-36 before heading into the locker room.
Curry shot a blazing 59.4% from the field in the second half, finishing at 51.5% for the game. ENC held the advantage in rebounds (43-40), but turned the ball over five more times than the visitors (15-10), as the Colonels outscored the Lions 18-6 in points off turnovers.
Jackson lead all scorers with 29 points, followed by Chris Bonadies (Medfield, MA) with 19, Mastrullo with 18 and Philippe Jourdain (Cambridge, MA) with 17.
Eastern Nazarene’s Aaron Johnson (Boston, MA) led the home team with a season-high 26 points (10 for 21 from the floor). Ezeigbo had the game’s only double-double (23 points, 12 rebounds).
Eastern Nazarene College plays its next game on the road at New England College on Tuesday February 9 at 7:30 pm while Curry hosts Salve Regina at 8:00 pm.
Box Score/Play-By-Play
Recap courtesy of ENC Sports Information