Haverhill, MA (February 13, 2018) – The Northern Essex Community College men's basketball team defeated the University of Connecticut-Avery Point for the second time in as many games on Tuesday by a score of 86-72. The Knights improved to 15-11 with the win and have secured their place in the upcoming MCCAC and NJCAA Region XXI Tournaments.

DJ Greenhalgh (Dracut, MA) led the Knights as he posted a triple double of 13 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists. A double-double performance of 18 points and 11 rebounds from Kyle Martin (Amesbury, MA) was also key for the Knights on both sides of the ball. Three others scored in double digits for the Knights on Tuesday night as Emir Alagoz (Istanbul, Turkey) scored a team high 22, Alexis Estrella 17 (Lawrence, MA) and Guney Kilitcioglu (Istanbul, Turkey) added 14.

Defensively, Estrella led Northern Essex as he grabbed five steals on the evening, while also contributing five assists and six rebounds. Alagoz added 12 assists to also record a double double.

UConn's Jacee Hamelin led the Pointers as scored a game high 25 points.

The Knights will conclude the regular season on Saturday as they host Bristol Community College with tip set for 1:00pm in Sport and Fitness Center

Northern Essex Community College competes as a member of the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) and sponsors eight varsity intercollegiate sports including baseball, men's basketball, softball, women's volleyball, men's and women's cross country and men's and women's track and field. For more information on Northern Essex Community College Athletics please visit the official website of Northern Essex Athletics (http://athletics.necc.mass.edu).