Men's Basketball Topples Curry; Locks up Home CCC Quarterfinal Game

MILTON, Mass. – Four student-athletes scored in double figures, including sophomore Jack Connell (Walpole, Mass.), who nearly recorded a triple-double, as the Wentworth Institute of Technology men's basketball team closed out the regular season with an 83-66 win over Curry.

The win improves the Leopards' record to 16-9, matching the most wins in a season under head coach Arlen Galloway, and locks up a home game in the Commonwealth Coast Conference quarterfinals, which begin Tuesday (February 21).

RECORDS:
Wentworth (16-9, 11-7 CCC)
Curry (5-20, 3-15 CCC)

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE:

WENTWORTH LEADING SCORERS:  Jack Connell, 19; Tyler Stewart, 19; Jack Schaake, 17; Conor Rubenskas, 15
WENTWORTH LEADING REBOUNDERS:  Connell, 9; Stewart 7; Schaake, 7
WENTWORTH ASSIST LEADERS:  Connell, 8; Schaake 3

HOW IT HAPPENED:

• Holding a 7-6 lead with 15:47 remaining in the opening half, Wentworth used a 10-2 run to take a 17-8 lead on a freshman Nathan Brinkman (Trumbull, Conn.) three with 13:48 left. Curry closed the gap to two with 7:47 left after senior Angelo Sardegna (Tampa, Fla.) hit a three and, off a turnover, freshman Mustafo Vanjov (Khorog, Tajikistan) made a layup. Vanjov tied the game at 25-all with a pair of free throws, and, after senior Jack Schaake (Hampton, N.H.) made two free throws, he made a jumper, tying the game at 27-all with 6:56 left.
• Six straight points from sophomore Tyler Stewart (East Taunton, Mass.) ignited a 11-4 Leopard run, which gave the Black & Gold a 38-31 lead with 1:29 left. A senior Conor Rubenskas (Bridgewater, Mass.) layup with 12 seconds left extended the lead to 41-33 and Wentworth held a 41-35 edge at the break. The Leopards shot a blistering 68.2 percent from the floor.
• Curry closed the gap to four (49-45) after junior Lowrelle Torres (Vineland, N.J.) made a three with just over 13 minutes left in the contest. However, a layup from Schaake started a 6-0 spurt which gave Wentworth a 55-45 lead with 11:27 left after a layup from senior Thomas Hacker (Averill Park, N.Y.). The Leopards extended their lead to 14 (69-55) on a Stewart free throw before five straight Colonel points pulled the hosts back within nine (71-62) with 4:04 left. The Black & Gold closed out the game on a 10-4 run to take the 83-66 win.
• Connell recorded 19 points, nine rebounds, and eight assists, while Stewart added 19 points, seven rebounds, and four blocks. Schaake chipped in with 17 points and seven rebounds, while Rubenskas added 15 points. As a team Wentworth shot 63 percent from the floor, marking the third time this season the Leopards have shot 60 percent or better from the floor. Wentworth also had a 39-20 rebounding advantage.

SERIES NOTES:

• Today marked the 66th all-time meeting between the two teams. Winners of 16 in a row, Wentworth leads, 42-24..

NEXT UP:

• As the number four seed, Wentworth will host Suffolk in a CCC Quarterfinal game on Tuesday at 7:00 p.m. The two teams finished with identical 11-7 marks in CCC play (and 16-9 records overall), however, the Leopards earn the tiebreaker by splitting with second-seeded Western New England.

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