On Thursday, Nov. 10, NECC Knights defeated Quinsigamond Community College 76 to 73 in Worcester.

I asked NECC Knights assistant coach Cameron Stratton, the son of the head coach Darren Stratton, how are they blocking all the noise and not being distracted as this is the home opener for Quinsigamond?

“Yeah, it seems we played a couple home openers now from NHTI and Bunker Hill. I think the guys are starting to finally get used to it especially the guys that are playing for a while and I think we will be ready for the atmosphere,” Cameron Stratton said.

The Knights won the tip-off. Mehmet “R2”Asik scored to make it 2-0. Quinsigamond tied the game up.

Luis Reynoso of Lawrence  put the Knights 5 to 4 and Asik extend the Knights lead.

The game was 7 to 6 when Jasjit Banwait of Malton, Ontario, Canada, shot a two pointer.

The Knights eventually were trailing in the ball game 13 to 9.

The Knights were committing fouls. Darlin Santiago of Salem,  shot a three pointer followed by Jeremiah Melendez of Lawrence with a two pointer, as the Knights retook the lead, 16 to 13. Knights retake the lead 16 to 13.

The Knights were up 18 to 17 when it was called a jump ball.

Melendez of the Knights made a three pointer to make it 21 to 17. Edwin SamMbaka of Paris, France, made it 23 to 17.

SamMbaka stole the ball and he ran into the basket to make it 25 to 17 in favor of the Knights. Ryan Pacy did the same exact thing, that made it 27 to 20 after Quinsigamond scored on a three pointer.

Reynoso scored a two pointer and extended the Knights lead by nine.

Reynoso had two fouls in a span of one minute that made Wyverns get possession of the ball.

Metin Yavuz of Istanbul, Turkey, scored to make it 33 to 25.

There was a problem going on with the scoreboard as they were a little delayed.

Cristian Kinsley of Lawrence made it 39 to 29 as the Knights were up by 10 at the half.

“I think it was our depth, they played their starter a lot of minutes, in fact I don’t know their big guy 22 their big gun ever got a break. One of the things that so impressive about this team is our depth. We have a couple conference caliber guys coming off our bench and that wears (the) team down so I think as the half went on we able to stretch the lead a little bit and make it a 10 point game,” Assistant head coach Nick Nofi said.

In the second half a foul was called on Philip Cunningham of Haverhill to begin the quarter.

The game was 41-32 when Cunningham made it inside the bucket and a foul for a chance for a three point play. Cunningham made it in as the Knights were up by 10.

Reynoso missed a two pointer but his friend Mehmet “R2” Asik of Ankara, Turkey, was right there to back him up and scored a two pointer.

A three pointer by Ryan Pacy of Salem N.H., in the next possession they gave a foul on Pacy where he shot two balls in.

Pacy and Kevin Monteiro of Sommerville committed a foul for the Knights.

Quinsigamond made a run against the Knights to make this game interesting.

Asik ended Quinsigamond run by scoring a two pointer.

Reynoso shot for two and a foul went to the free throw line where he made it in. Asik made for two.

There were a lot of fouls during the ball game.

“We just get a little bit slappy and we got into foul trouble, also we started to make wrong decisions and get into foul trouble, also we started to make wrong decisions and started to take all the shots and we couldn’t make them but we are going to work at it during practice,” Asik said.

Quinsigamond took a two point lead as they were leading the Knights 71 to 69.

The Knights blow a 19 point lead.

“They zone hurt us, they played a 1-3-1 and sometimes 3-2 zone and we were always never patient to attacking it, getting turnover to try to force it inside by moving around the too much inside, out and we didn’t shoot well against it. We can’t move the ball and get lay ups of the zone… and they did a good job of slowing the game down executing their half court set…” Nofi said.

Pacy shot a three to put the Knights ahead in the ball game, the next possession Pacy made both free throws in.

“Our game plan is always to play hard and share the ball running for it and pull each other on and pretty much it,” Asik said.

Pacy’s late minute heroics were enough to defeat Quinsigamond 76 to 73.