Roger Williams Halts Men's Basketball's Comeback Attempt

BRISTOL, R.I. – Four players scored in double figures, including senior Eli Harris (Falmouth, Mass.) who had a game-high 19 points as the Roger Williams University men's basketball team defeated Wentworth Institute of Technology, 75-61, in Commonwealth Coast Conference action Saturday afternoon.

With the win the Hawks improve to 9-5 overall and 6-3 in CCC play with the Leopards sit at 5-9 (2-6)

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE:

LEADING SCORERS:  Sam Goy, 13; Tyler Stewart 10; Jack Connell, 10
LEADING REBOUNDERS:  Jack Schaake, 8; Sam Swift, 6; Connell, 5; Goy, 5
ASSIST LEADERS:  Goy, 3; Stewart, 3

HOW IT HAPPENED:

• Wentworth took a 3-2 lead on a three pointer from junior Thomas Hacker (Averill Park, N.Y.) 80 seconds into the contest before Roger Williams used a 12-2 run and took a 14-5 lead on a Harris layup with 15:42 left. Four straight points from freshman Tyler Stewart (East Taunton, Mass.) and a three pointer from sophomore Sam Goy (Derry, N.Y.) trimmed the lead to two (16-14) at the midway point of the half and the Leopards trailed by two again on a Stewart layup 36 seconds later.
• The Hawks used a 13-4 run and took a 30-18 lead after a jump shot from senior Drew Hart (Cheshire, Conn.) and took a 13-point lead on two occasions, including when freshman Charles Mukweva (Harare, Zimbabwe) made a layup with 1:40 left. Goy countered with a jumper on Wentworth's next possession but two free throws from Harris gave the Hawks a 37-24 lead at the half.
• Roger Williams built its lead to 18 (51-33) when Mukweva made a layup with 12:04 left and the hosts took their largest lead of the game (21) when sophomore Mac Annus (Belmont, Mass.) converted a four-point play with just under 10 minutes left.
• Back-to-back threes from Goy and freshman Jack Connell (Walpole, Mass.) ignited a 20-3 run which saw the Black & Gold cut the lead to four when Goy hit one of two free throws with 5:10 left. Harris and Annus each hit threes, sandwiched around a Goy jumper, making it 67-59 with 3:34 left. Five straight points from junior John Ah Kao (Dumont, N.J.) started a 9-2 run to close out the game.
• In addition to Harris' 19 points, Annus scored 16, Ah Kao had 12 and Hart chipped in with 11.
• Wentworth, which had a 42-29 rebounding advantage, was led by Goy's 13 points to go along with five rebounds and three assists. Stewart went 5-for-6 from the floor, scoring 10 points while Connell also had 10.

SERIES NOTES:

• Today was the 69th all-time meeting between the two teams. Roger Williams has won three straight in the series and leads, 40-29.

NEXT UP:

• Wentworth hosts Salve Regina Tuesday night.

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