Men's Basketball Cruises Past Messiah

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. –The Wentworth Institute of Technology men's basketball squad cruised past the Falcons of Messiah 73-47 on Tuesday afternoon as part of the Cruzin' Classic tournament, backed by a double-double from sophomore Tyler Stewart (East Taunton, Mass.) and a team field goal percentage of 50%.

RECORDS:

• Wentworth: 4-4 (1-2 CCC)
• Messiah: 5-6

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE:

LEADING SCORERS:   Tyler Stewart, 24; Jack Connell, 8; Jack Schaake, 7

LEADING REBOUNDERS:   Stewart, 12; Schaake, 8; Thomas Hacker, Nathan Brinkman, 4

ASSIST LEADERS:   Connell, Robbie Siechen, 4

HOW IT HAPPENED:

• Messiah started the day on a 6-0 run, sparked by a three-pointer from graduate student Tyler Penley (Drexel Hill, Pa.) The two teams traded buckets to work their way up to an 11-11 tie. Sophomore Nathaniel Smith (Beacon Falls, Conn.), who made a three-pointer two scores prior, sank a layup before sophomore Jack Connell (Walpole, Mass) drained a three of his own to make the score 16-11 in the Leopards' favor.
• Junior Bryce Coletti (Myerstown, Pa.) sank a three-pointer to cut the deficit to two until the Black & Gold unleashed a 7-0 run that featured four different point-getters to bring their lead to 23-14.
• Senior Jack Schaake (Hampton, N.H.) managed to grab three more points for the Leopards after Messiah collected four of their own to make the score 26-18. Stewart scored two more buckets for the Leopards that sandwiched two points for the Falcons to bring the score to 30-20 at the half.
• Wentworth started the second half on an 18-2 run, led by eight points from Stewart, four from senior Thomas Hacker (Averill Park, N.Y.), and three-pointers by senior Sam Swift (Arlington, Mass.) and freshman Russell Dolabany (Westwood, Mass.). After being outscored by the Falcons 4-2 shortly thereafter, Swift nailed another three to put Wentworth ahead 53-26.
• Messiah went on a 4-1 run until a 6-0 run by the Leopards, fueled by a three-pointer from freshman Robbie Siechen (Clay, N.Y.), ramped up the score to 60-30 with just under six minutes remaining in the contest. The Falcons responded with a 6-2 run of their own until a three from junior Ikenna Azums (Hyde Park, Mass.) slowed their roll, marking a 65-36 score.
• The Falcons rattled off seven-straight points, with three points each coming from freshman Dan Starkey (Cochranville, Pa.) and junior Michael Healy (Ashburn, Va.), cutting the deficit to 65-43. Following their run was a 5-0 run by the Leopards, with all five points coming from freshman Mike Yentin (Beverly, Mass.), making the score 70-43. The two teams traded baskets to end the game at a 73-47 score.
• Stewart notched a double-double with 24 points and 12 rebounds while going 10-12 from the floor. The Leopards shot 50% from the field as a team while the Falcons shot 25.9%.

SERIES NOTES:

• Today's game was the first-ever matchup between the two teams.

NEXT UP:

• The Black & Gold continue the Cruzin' Classic tournament tomorrow, tipping off against Wartburg at 2:00 p.m.

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