Men’s Basketball Falls Just Short in Physical Battle Against Westfield State

BOSTON, Mass. – It was a physical contest at Tansey Gymnasium as the Wentworth Institute of Technology men's basketball team fell 74-72 to Westfield State on Friday night. Dylan Olson shot 5-9 from behind the arc to lead the Leopards with 17 points and four assists. Russel Dolabany added 15 points, and Chase Mello scored 12 points and dished out three assists. Colin Mannke's 10 rebounds led the Leopards, with nine of them coming on the defensive glass. Wentworth shot 42% from the field and 33% from three.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

• Wentworth came out firing from behind the arc, opening the game shooting 4-4 from three. Olson, Dolabany, and Mello all knocked down triples to give the Leopards a 15-9 lead five minutes into the contest. Aidan Flaherty got on the scoresheet with a layup to keep the hosts in front by five, but the Owls answered to keep the game within one possession. Wentworth shared the ball and got scoring up and down the lineup as Mike Yentin got on the board with a layup just before the midway mark of the first to put the Leopards ahead 19-14.
• AZ Allah's three tied the game at 19 as the physicality and pace of the game picked up. Mello's layup put Wentworth back in front before five quick points gave Westfield the lead. The teams exchanged buckets over the next four minutes with Mannke's layup giving the Leopards a 29-28 lead with just under four minutes to play in the half. Jason James gave Westfield a 36-32 edge before Olson's three and a steal by Donovan Holway gave the Leopards the ball for the last possession. Dolabany knocked down a triple with two seconds left to send Wentworth into the half with a 38-36 lead.
•  Dolabany and Olson picked up where they left off with back-to-back buckets to extend the Leopards' lead to seven points a minute into the half. Wentworth held on to the lead until Kenney Rogers' free throw tied the game at 48. Davis Lunn and Mannke's three straight makes restored the lead for the Leopards, 54-48, with under 13 to play. The Owls clawed back to make it a one-point game at the midway mark of the second half.
• Westfield took a 60-59 lead behind Cam Hoekstra's layup before Dolabany put Wentworth back in the lead to kickstart what would be a back-and-forth finish to the game. Allah's three with 6:23 put the Owls ahead 64-61 before Mannke's tough finish and free throw completed the three-point play to even the score once again. Xavier Lewis hit a pair of free throws with 2:43 to play, giving Westfield a six-point lead. The Leopards would not go quietly, as Holway made a layup and hit a pair of free throws to make it 72-70 with 1:29 to go. After another two free throws from Allah, Mello made a big layup with 36 seconds remaining, making it a 74-72 game. Rogers missed the front end of a one and one and Mannke grabbed the rebound to allow the Leopards to take their final timeout with 15 seconds left. Mannke had a chance to even the game at the buzzer, but the shot did not fall and Westfield came away with the victory.

THE SERIES:

• Tonight was the 2nd all-time meeting between the two teams.

NEXT UP:

• Wentworth returns to action at Roger Williams on January 3.  

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