Men's Basketball Clinches Postseason Berth with Pivotal Win at Western New England

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – Sophomore Kevin Fernandez (Lawrence, Mass.) connected on 10-of-12 shots from the floor, en route to a career-high 26 points as the Wentworth Institute of Technology men's basketball team punched its ticket to the Commonwealth Coast Conference Tournament with a pivotal, 80-67 win over Western New England on Wednesday night.

With the win the Leopards improve to 15-9 overall and move into sole possession of fourth place in the league standings at 8-7, one game ahead of three teams (University of New England, Gordon, Salve Regina) for home court in the opening round of the tournament. The Golden Bears conclude the regular season at 15-10 (10-6) and have locked up the number three seed for the conference tournament.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

LEADING SCORERS:  Kevin Fernandez, 26; Stephen Azums, 13; Noah Bice, 15
LEADING REBOUNDERS:  Stephen Azums, 13; Tyler Lennon, 9
ASSIST LEADERS:  Kyle Henseler, 4; Stephen Azums, 3

HOW IT HAPPENED:

• Western New England took a 10-7 lead on a jumper from senior Tim Reilly (Poughkeepsie, N.Y.) with 16:12 left. A layup and two free throws from senior Stephen Azums (Hyde Park, Mass.) gave the Leopards an 11-10 lead just 39 seconds later, however, the Golden Bears responded with a 10-3 run, capped off by a four-point play from Reilly, who scored all 10 points in the run.
• The Leopards used an 8-2 run to tie the game at 22-all on a jumper from Fernandez with 8:27 left in the half. A pair of lead changes saw the Leopards regain the lead on a layup from sophomore Noah Bice (Woodacre, Calif.) with 6:08 left in the half. Bice's basket began a 14-2 run which put the Black & Gold ahead by 11 (39-28) with 1:01 left. Bice tallied seven points during the run while Fernandez chipped in with five. A three pointer from junior Alex Sikorski (Rocky Hill, Conn.) and a layup from senior Mike McGuire (Garden City, N.Y.) pulled the hosts to within six at the half. Wentworth shot 53.6 from the floor in the first half while Western New England was held to 33.3 percent.
• Azums and Fernandez opened the second half with back-to-back layups to extend the lead back to double digits before three pointers from Reilly and Sikorski cut the lead to four. Junior Tyler Lennon (Atkinson, N.H.) hit one of two free throws to make it a five-point game but Reilly put down a jumper to make it 44-41 with 17:31 left. Fernandez followed with four straight points, extending the lead to seven and made it a six-point game after a jumper, which followed a Sikorski basket from behind the arc.
• Wentworth built its lead to as many as 11 after Fernandez hit a pair of free throws with 8:44 left. After Sikorski hit a three and Reilly made a layup to make it a six-point game with 6:28 left, freshman Jack Schaake (Hampton, N.H.) and junior Kyle Henseler (Coventry, R.I.) hit back-to-back buckets to push the lead back to double digits.
• The Golden Bears used six straight points – a three pointer from senior Nick DeGennaro (Yorktown Heights, N.Y.) and three free throws from McGuire – to pull within four with 4:36 left but that would be as close as the hosts would get as Lennon knocked down a jumper to ignite a 9-0 run which was capped off by a three-point play from Fernandez with 1:47 left.
• Fernandez eclipsed the 20-point mark for the fifth time this season, besting his previous career high by one point. Azums recorded his 15th double-double of the season, scoring 16 points and grabbing 13 rebounds while also dishing out three assists. Bice was also in double figures for the Black & Gold, scoring 15 points. Wentworth dominated the glass by a 48-28 margin and shot 53.8 percent from the floor.
• Reilly led all scorers with 27 points, connecting on 10-of-18 shots from the floor which included going 6-for-9 from the floor. Sikorski finished with 14 points and four assists. The Golden Bears were held to 34.2 percent shooting from the floor.

NOTEWORTHY:

• Wentworth has clinched a berth in the CCC Tournament for the 15th straight season.
• The 15 wins in a season tie the most wins in a season in head coach Arlen Galloway's seven seasons on the Leopards' bench, matching the 2015-2016 squad (15-11).

SERIES NOTES:

• Tonight marked the 25th all-time meeting between the two programs with Wentworth holding a 16-9 advantage. The teams split the season series, with each winning on the others' home court.

NEXT UP:

• Wentworth closes out the regular season on Saturday (February 22) at Salve Regina. A Leopard win secures a home game for the Black & Gold in the opening round of the CCC Tournament.

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