Men's Basketball Hands Western New England First CCC Loss

BOSTON, Mass. – Senior Jack Schaake (Hampton, N.H.) scored 12 of his team-high 17 points in the second half, a half that saw the Wentworth Institute of Technology men's basketball team shoot 66.7 percent from the floor and hold Western New England to 32.1 percent, as the Leopards handed the Golden Bears their first Commonwealth Coast Conference loss with a 71-66 win.

RECORDS:
Western New England (14-3, 10-1 CCC)
Wentworth (10-8, 5-6 CCC)

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE:

WENTWORTH LEADING SCORERS:  Jack Schaake, 17; Conor Rubenskas, 14, Jack Connell, 10
WENTWORTH LEADING REBOUNDERS:  Schaake, 11; Tyler Stewart, 6
WENTWORTH ASSIST LEADERS:  Connell, 8; Sam Goy, 4

HOW IT HAPPENED:

• Over the first 9:57, there were 11 lead changes, with the largest lead of the game coming when Leopard senior Conor Rubenskas (Bridgewater, Mass.) scored four straight points to erase a one-point deficit and give the Black & Gold a 12-9 advantage with 13:53 left. The final lead change of the opening portion of the first half came on a Schaake jumper, which started an 8-0 run and gave the Leopards a 24-17 lead after a sophomore Nathaniel Smith (Beacon Falls, Conn.) jumper.
• Western New England used a 15-2 run to reclaim the lead, 32-26, after a pair of sophomore Brady Palazzesi (Somers, Conn.) free throws with 1:50 to play. A transition layup by Schaake gave Wentworth a 32-28 lead at the break. The Golden Bears shot 52.2 percent from the floor in the opening frame and held the hosts to 38.7 percent.
• Junior Brian Geitner (Tolland, Conn.) opened the second half with a three, giving Western New England a 35-28 lead. However, Wentworth stormed back with a 27-6 run and took a 55-41 lead on a freshman Nathan Brinkman (Trumbull, Conn.) free throw with 9:38 left.
• The Golden Bears pulled back within five (59-54) after a pair of Geitner free throws before Schaake scored six straight points, pushing Wentworth's lead back to double figures. And, after junior Gavin Greene's (Madison, Conn.) layup with 2:29 remaining, Brinkman followed with a layup to put Wentworth ahead by 11 (67-56).
• Western New England would not go quietly as the Golden Bears scored the next seven points, cutting the lead to 67-63 with 33.6 seconds left on a junior Tim Restall (Tollan, Conn.) free throw. After a missed free throw, the Golden Bears got the ball back, but a three point attempt was off the mark and junior Sam Goy hit two free throws to extend the lead to six with 14 seconds left. Sophomore Jake Harrison (South Boston, Mass.) was fouled taking a three pointer and hit all three shots, making it a three-point (69-66) game with eight seconds left. On the ensuing play, sophomore Jack Connell (Walpole, Mass.) was fouled and hit both free throws to ice the win.
• Schaake connected on 8-of-12 shots and collected a double-double with 11 rebounds. Rubenskas was 7-for-10 from the floor, scoring 14 points, while Connell scored 10 points and dished out eight assists. Harrison led all scorers with 28 points to go along with nine rebounds and five assists.
• Wentworth shot 50.9 percent from the floor and had a 36-30 rebounding edge.
• The Leopards reached the 10-win plateau for the 16th time in the last 17 playing seasons, the eighth time under head coach Arlen Galloway, and matched last season's win total.

SERIES NOTES:

• Tonight was the 29th all-time meeting between the two teams. Western New England leads, 18-11.

NEXT UP:

• Wentworth is at Suffolk on Saturday afternoon.

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