Leopards Down Nighthawks, 90-67

BROOKLINE, Mass. – Senior forward Matt Abbott (Falmouth, Mass.) connected on 11 of 15 shots to record a game-high 22 points as the Wentworth men's basketball team rolled past Newbury, 90-67, in a non-conference game played at Hellenic College.

The host Nighthawks jumped out to an early, 4-1 lead within the first two minutes of the game before the Leopards used a 10-0 run to take an 11-4 lead, keyed in part by freshman guard Corey Therriault's (Auburn, Maine) back-to-back three pointers.  After Newbury trimmed the lead to four (13-9) with 12:46 left in the half, Wentworth held the hosts scoreless for the next 5:24, while scoring 17 points of its own to take a 30-9 lead and break the game open.

Leading by as much as 26 points with five minutes remaining in the half, the Leopards held a 45-23 lead at the break thanks in part to an offense that shot 60.7 percent and a defense that held the Nighthawks to 31.0 percent, scored 11 points off of seven turnovers, and won the battle on the glass, 23-10.

Newbury trimmed the lead to as few as 15 early in the second half, but would get no closer as Wentworth would extend its lead to as many as 28 with 9:29 to play.  The Leopards shot 51.5 percent from the floor over the final 20 minutes and shot 55.7 percent for the game, while holding the Nighthawks to 38.7 percent for the game.  Wentworth outrebounded Newbury, 46-25.

Abbott recorded a double-double as he grabbed 12 rebounds on the night.  Therriault went 5-for-7 from the floor for a career-high 13 points, while senior forward Shane West (Saco, Maine) connected on all six shots he took for a 13-point night.  Junior forward Sam Herrick (Duxbury, Mass.) scored eight points, grabbed 10 rebounds, and had a game-high seven assists.

Newbury was led by freshman guard Oasiris Yates (White Plains, N.Y.), who scored 20 points.  Junior guard John Rowley (Hartford, Conn.) added 14 points on 4-for-7 shooting from the floor.

With the win Wentworth improves to 4-6 on the year and opens The Commonwealth Coast Conference play on Saturday at Gordon.  Newbury falls to 2-6 and opens New England Collegiate Conference play on Saturday as well, as the Nighthawks travel to Elms.