NighthawksTip-Off NECC Basketball Season with First

The Newbury College men’s and women’s basketball teams opened up New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) action with a historic first. While the men were taming 5’8” Lesley guard John Sanchez in a 67-58 victory at home, their female counterparts were battling the Lynx just up the road, earning their first win in six years over Lesley with a lopsided, 52-26 win. It was the first time in Newbury history both programs defeated rival Lesley University on the same night.

In front of a highly energized Nighthawk Nation, freshman guard Milciades Carrasco (Haverhill, Mass.) was the sparkplug the Nighthawks needed to overcome a 9-2 Lynx run to begin the game. Midway through the first half Carrasco turned a Lesley turnover into a quick three points that altered the direction of the game. It was the Haverhill native’s first points of the contest but it set off a chain reaction and he was off to the races. 

Carrasco could not miss in the first half. As soon as the ball touched his hands, the volume in the gym increased. He was nearly perfect from behind the arc knocking down four of five for half-high 12 points to lead the Nighthawks into the locker room with the 32-27 lead.

At halftime of the men’s game, the women were just getting underway over on Gerry’s Landing in West Cambridge. In search of their second straight victory of the season against last year’s regular season champion, the Nighthawks came out of the gate on fire, jumping on the Lynx early and never taking their foot off the accelerator.

Reigning NECC Player of the Week junior center Catherine O’Connell (Quincy, Mass.) led the offensive outburst dropping 11 of her game-high 12 points on the Lynx in the first half. The North Shore native nearly registered her fourth straight double-double in the first half ripping down nine boards in the period. 

Back over in Brookline, Carrasco and the men’s squad just completed the 67-58 victory as the women headed to the locker room with a commanding 27-12 lead at the half. Feeding off second chance points, senior forward Jason Marshall (Fairburn, Ga.) came up huge for the Nighthawks in the second half.

In addition to netting seven points on the evening, Marshall was a force on the offensive blocks, ripping down seven of his game-high 11 rebounds away from the waiting arms of defenders as the Nighthawks outscored the Lynx, 12-9, on second chance scoring opportunities. Sophomore guard Kwame Thompson (Brockton, Mass.) was another key factor off the Newbury bench. Like Marshall, Thompson also started the second half and helped guide the Nighthawks to their victory in the conference opener tallying six points on the Lynx.

After recording just four points in the first half, junior guard Tim Young (Brockton, Mass.) climbed within two points of teammate, sophomore Eric Watson (New Rochelle, N.Y.) for the conference lead, tying sophomore Steve Rosemond (Everett, Mass.) with 14 on the evening. Rosemond snuck up on the Lynx and buried them registering a double-double, adding 10 boards to his already impressive stat-line that included a game-high four steals.

Following the men’s exhilarating nine point victory, the women still had another 20 minutes of basketball to play to complete the home-and-away sweep of the Lynx. And they were up to the challenge.

Senior guard Shayla White (Dorchester, Mass.) had a field day against the Lesley offense. The only member of the Nighthawks to play more than 30 minutes, White set a new career game-high for herself picking the pockets of the Lynx, a game-high seven times. Her previous game-high was five which she accomplished five times other times over the course of her four year career.

In the 26 point victory, the Nighthawks set a new record in rebounds, ripping down an extraordinary 72 boards – double the amount the Lynx rained in. Sophomore forward Katie Haney (Winchendon, Mass.) was a major factor as she drew attention away from O’Connell defensively setting a new individual career game-high, pulling in 13 boards – seven of which were offensive.

With both teams opening up the conference season at 1-0,  the Nighthawks appear to pose a daunting threat for conference opponents in addition to making a long run in the New England Collegiate Conference Championship Tournament in February.