HARTFORD, Conn. – Paced by four players who scored in double figures, the Wentworth Institute of Technology men's basketball team posted its largest margin of victory this season as the Leopards downed the University of Maine at Fort Kent, 76-48, in the third place game at the Trinity College Holiday Classic.
Wentworth (4-5) scored the first seven points of the game and never looked back as junior Nico Donato (Glastonbury, Conn.) had five points and senior Scott Moran (Orange, Conn.) added a pair. The Bengals (3-8) would eventually cut the lead to 10-9 when freshman David Martinez (Valencia, Spain) hit one of two free throws with 14:26 left, but the Leopards scored the next six points to take a 16-9 lead with 12:32 remaining.
A 3-pointer by sophomore Mauro Vicic (Kanfanar, Croatia) would bring UMFK within four before the Black & Gold used a 10-2 run to up the lead to a dozen with just over seven minutes left. Sophomore Fred Sanchez (Bronx, N.Y.) helped whittle the lead to single digits with a basket with 3:20 left before sophomore Tim Juitt (Ashland, Mass.) hit a jumper late in the half to give the Leopards an 11-point (31-20) halftime edge.
Juitt's basket started an 11-0 run that went into the second half as Wentworth's lead swelled to as many as 20 on a sophomore Ronnie Turner (Lewiston, Maine) layup.
Holding a 20-point lead with just under 11 minutes left, the Leopards went on a 17-3 run over the next four minutes and took their largest lead (34) when Donato drained a shot from behind the arc with 6:57 left.
Moran led the Leopards with 15 points (on 7-for-11 shooting) to go along with five steals. Senior Derek Mayo (Casco, Maine) had 14 points, eight rebounds, and seven assists, Donato added 11, and junior Ray Bessette (Dedham, Maine) came off the bench to score 10. As a team the Black & Gold shot just under 51 percent from the floor and held a 36-18 rebounding edge.
Wentworth resumes Commonwealth Coast Conference play on Saturday when the Leopards travel to Gordon.
WENTWORTH 76, MAINE-FORT KENT 48
WENTWORTH (4-5)
Scott Moran 7-11 0-0 15; Derek Mayo 3-11 6-8 14; Nico Donato 5-8 1-1 13; Ray Bessette 3-5 2-2 10; Ronnie Turner 3-3 0-0 7; Cam Sennick 2-2 0-0 4; Shawn Ricker 2-3 0-0 4; Tim Juitt 2-4 0-0 4; Eric Mirante 1-1 0-0 3; John-Michael Fragnoli 0-2 2-4 2; Leland Alexander 0-0 0-0 0; Dan DeVaux 0-0 0-0 0; Brian O'Neill 0-1 0-0 0; Ian Therriault 0-4 0-2 0; Jherson Colon 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 28-55 11-17 76.
MAINE-FORT KENT (3-8)
Mike McClung 5-11 3-4 14; Jorge Matesanz 3-4 0-0 8; Fred Sanchez 1-6 6-6 8; Mauro Vicic 2-6 1-1 6; James Givens 0-3 4-6 4; Abdi Hussein 1-1 0-0 3; Nikola Vokosavovic 1-4 0-0 2; Jeremy Bishop 1-3 0-0 2; David Martinez 0-1 1-2 1; Jared Hafford 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 14-39 15-19 48.
Wentworth..................... 31 45 - 76
Maine-Fort Kent............... 20 28 - 48
3-point goals--Wentworth 9-22 (Nico Donato 2-4; Derek Mayo 2-3; Ray Bessette 2-3; Eric Mirante 1-1; Scott Moran 1-5; Ronnie Turner 1-1; Ian Therriault 0-3; Tim Juitt 0-2), Maine-Fort Kent 5-9 (Jorge Matesanz 2-2; Mauro Vicic 1-1; Abdi Hussein 1-1; Mike McClung 1-1; James Givens 0-2; Fred Sanchez 0-2). Fouled out--Wentworth-None, Maine-Fort Kent-None. Rebounds—Wentworth 36 (Derek Mayo 8), Maine-Fort Kent 18 (David Martinez 4). Assists—Wentworth 21 (Derek Mayo 7), Maine-Fort Kent 10 (Mauro Vicic 3). Total fouls--Wentworth 17, Maine-Fort Kent 10. Technical fouls--Wentworth-None, Maine-Fort Kent-Nikola Vokosavovic.
