Men’s Basketball Falls to Roger Williams

BRISTOL, R.I. – The Wentworth Institute of Technology men's basketball fell to the Roger Williams Hawks 83-60 on Saturday afternoon. The Hawks improve to 8-5 overall and remain undefeated in conference play at 4-0. Wentworth falls to 0-11 and 0-4 in CNE action. Dylan Olson led the Leopards with a career-high 18 points and nine rebounds, shooting 4-8 from behind the arc. Russel Dolabany added 11 points, four rebounds, and a team-high four assists. Colin Mannke scored six points to go with eight rebounds while Donovan Holway tallied a team-high three blocks.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

• Olson opened the scoring with a three on the Leopards' first possession with Dolabany recording the assist. Mannke hit a layup before a steal from Holway led to a Dolabany layup that gave Wentworth an early 7-0 lead. A pair of free throws from Mannke and another bucket from Olson pushed the lead to 11-2 as Wentworth came out strong in the opening four minutes of the game. Chase Mello and Dolabany connected from behind the arc as the advantage stretched to 17-5. The Hawks chipped away at the lead with Ryan Higgins' three making it 23-14 at the midway mark of the first half.
• Roger Williams made it a one-possession game with a 6-0 run over 90 seconds behind threes from Ashton Leclerc and Ryan Hammarlund. The run continued for the hosts as they took a 25-23 lead, keeping Wentworth off the board for nearly four minutes. Olson's three ended the Hawks' 11-0 run and put Wentworth back in front with seven minutes to play in the half. Roger Williams went on an 8-2 run to jump in front, forcing the Leopards into a timeout late in the frame. The Hawks closed the half on a 15-6 run to take a 45-34 lead into the break. Olson led Wentworth with 10 points and seven rebounds in the first half.
• After almost two and a half minutes, Philip Sughrue hit two free throws before Dolabany and Olson combined for five points on back-to-back possessions. Hammarlund's two buckets in 25 seconds pushed the Roger Williams lead to 16 before Olson hit another jumper to bring his total to 15 points on the afternoon. Three straight buckets from the hosts gave them a comfortable 20-point lead with just under 14 minutes to play.
• Roger Williams maintained control in the final 10 minutes, defending well to keep Wentworth's offense from making a run to cut into the deficit. Mello and Hunter Larson knocked down threes and Jayden Williams completed a three-point play as the Leopards' bench put points on the board. Dolabany hit a few free throws late and Olson knocked down his fourth three of the game in the final two minutes. The Hawks came away with the 81-60 victory.

THE SERIES:

• Tonight was the 77th all-time meeting between the two teams.

NEXT UP:

• Wentworth will visit Nichols on Tuesday.

For the latest on Wentworth Athletics, follow the Leopards via social media on "X," Facebook and Instagram.