Second Half Runs Fuel Western New England’s 73-58 Victory over Wheaton

Golden Bears outscore Lyons 40-18 over final 20 minutes

MIDDLETOWN, Conn. (November 18, 2016) – The Western New England University men's basketball team posted a 16-0 run early in the second half and outscored Wheaton College 15-1 over the final seven minutes of regulation on its way to a 73-58 victory this evening on the first night of the Herb Kenny Tip-Off Tournament, hosted by Wesleyan College at Silloway Gymnasium.   

Top Performers
• Senior guard Mike Gelineau (Waltham, Mass.) led the way as the Golden Bears picked up their first win of the season, scoring a game-high 18 points on 5-of-10 shooting from the field, 3-of-7 from three-point range and 5-of-9 from the free throw line to go with seven rebounds, two blocks, one steal and one assist.   
• Freshman forward Mayo Aina (Providence, R.I.) posted his first career double-double in 25 minutes off the bench, finishing with 11 points on 5-of-9 shooting, ten rebounds (three offensive), two blocks and two steals.
• Graduate guard Luis Agrait (South Hadley, Mass.) chipped in with five points, five assists, six rebounds and three steals.

• Sophomore guard David Carbonello (Windham, N.H.) fueled Wheaton's offense with a team-high 17 points, while senior forward Quinton Dale (Winthrop, Mass.) registered a double-double with 11 points and a game-high 16 rebounds.

Game Review
• Western New England held an early 9-5 lead after sophomore guard Mikey Pettway (Bridgeport, Conn.) knocked down a pair of free throws 3:44 into the contest, but the Golden Bears missed their next six shots as Wheaton pulled ahead with a 9-0 run.
• Western New England fought back to regain the lead (22-20) with just under seven minutes remaining in the half after Gelineau and freshman guard Mike McCourt (Lincoln, R.I.) hit consecutive three-pointers.
• Carbonello scored 12 points over the final 6:29 of the half as Wheaton held a 40-33 lead at the break.
• The Lyons extended their lead to ten (49-39) with junior guard Ryan Fogarty's (Walpole, Mass.) layup at the 16:42 mark of the second half, but it would mark Wheaton's last points for over six minutes. Agrait connected from long range with 15:49 on the clock, sparking a 16-0 run that saw the Golden Bears claim a 55-49 advantage.
• Western New England never trailed after that point – Wheaton pulled to within one (58-57) on a layup by Carbonello with seven minutes remaining, but the Golden Bears outscored the Lyons 15-1 the rest of the way to secure the victory. Gelineau helped seal the win with nine points down the stretch, while freshman guard Nick DeGennaro (Yorktown Heights, N.Y.) added four.

Notes
• Western New England shot 41.7% (25-of-60) from the field, while the Lyons posted a 35.8% clip (24-of-67). Wheaton struggled from beyond the arc, connecting on just 1-of-24 (4.2%) three-point attempts.
• The Lyons held a 48-41 rebounding advantage, but their 19 turnovers resulted in 22 Western New England points.
• DeGennaro finished with seven points, three rebounds and three assists in 16 minutes off the bench.

Up Next
Western New England (1-1) will take on host Wesleyan tomorrow at 3 p.m. in the Herb Kenny Tip-Off championship game, while Wheaton (1-1) faces Southern Maine at 1 p.m. in the consolation contest.