Haverhill, MA (February 18, 2023) – The #3 nationally ranked Northern Essex Community College men's basketball team wrapped a perfect conference slate at 23-0 on Saturday afternoon with a hard fought 84-73 victory over the Community College of Rhode Island. The Knights conclude the regular season with a record of 28-1 and will head into the NJCAA Region21/East District tournament as the top seed.
NECC got off to slow start and trailed by as many as six points in the first half before a pair of buckets in the closing 40 seconds of the first half sent both teams to the locker room all squared at 38 points apiece.
On the offensive side of the of the court, it was the Lawrence duo of Luis Reynoso and Jeremiah Melendez who carried the bulk of the offense as they tossed in 28 and 19 points respectively. They were joined in double figures by Mehmet Asik (Ankara, Turkey) who had 12 points.
Reynoso recorded his 24th double-double of the season as he grabbed 14 rebounds, Asik joined with 10 rebounds for a double-double of his own.
The Knights will stay at home for the quarterfinal round of the Region 21/East District Tournament next Saturday February 25th. Opening tip-off is set for 12:00pm from the Sport and Fitness Center on the Haverhill campus and the opponent will be announced on Monday evening.