SPRINGFIELD, Mass., February 7, 2006 - Springfield College senior guard Derek Yvon (East Longmeadow, Mass.) led all scorers with 29 points, becoming the all-time leader at SC in career points, as the Pride defeated Clark University in New England Women’s and Men’s Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) action this evening, 83-67, in Blake Arena.

Yvon, a graduate of Cathedral High School, needed 28 points on the night to surpass former Pride standout Hassan Robinson (’95), as the senior guard did just that, netting a game-best 29 points as he now has accumulated 2,005 points to date in his illustrious career. In passing Robinson, Yvon has become just the 17th player in Division III New England history to reach the 2,000-point plateau.

With the victory, SC has now won four-straight and five of its last seven, as the Pride raises its record to 9-13 overall and 4-5 in the NEWMAC.

After falling behind to an early 6-0 deficit right out of the gates, SC responded with a 21-5 run capped by an Yvon three-pointer to give the Pride a 21-11 lead with 10:16 to go in the opening half. The Pride never looked back in the first stanza, shooting at a 66.7-percent clip (8-12) from beyond the arc to take a 13-point advantage into the break (47-34).

The two teams battled back and forth in the second half, but it was SC which proved to be too much for the Cougars (9-13, 3-7 NEWMAC), out-rebounding Clark by an impressive 42-26 margin in the contest. Crashing the boards for the Pride was junior forward Damian Farley (Natick, Mass.), with a game-best 12 caroms, and senior forward Brian Riley (Worcester, Mass.), with 10 rebounds (five offensive) to go along with 15 points for his fourth-straight double-double.

Senior forward Mike DeCesar (Acton, Mass.) had a solid game for SC with 13 points, six rebounds and two assists on 3-of-4 shooting from deep. Senior guard Jim Mack (Westfield, Mass.) came off the bench to chip in with a season-high 12 points on perfect shooting from three-point land (4-4). In all, the Pride shot 52.4 percent from beyond the arc (11-21).

Clark was led by sophomore guard Dominique Beck with 14 points to go along with four boards. Senior forward Tim Dutille added 12 points and a team-high seven rebounds. Freshman guard Byron Roberts chipped in with eight.

SC looks to make it five-in-a-row as it next travels to Babson Park, Mass., for a NEWMAC game on Saturday, February 11, in a 3:00 p.m. tip-off.

published: 02/07/2006