Golden Bears Fall to Salve Regina in CCC Opener, 80-69

Sophomore guard Mikey Pettway nets season-high 29 points

NEWPORT, R.I. (November 30, 2016) – The Western New England University men's basketball team was unable to overcome a nine-point halftime deficit as the Golden Bears dropped their Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) opener at Salve Regina University, 80-69, this evening at Rodgers Recreation Center.

Top Performers
• Sophomore guard Mikey Pettway (Bridgeport, Conn.) finished one point shy of his career high with 29 points on 11-of-15 shooting from the field and 7-of-9 from the free throw line to go with six assists.
• Freshman guard Mike McGuire (Garden City, N.Y.) led the Golden Bear reserves with 11 points, five rebounds, two steals and two assists in 29 minutes off the bench. McGuire connected on 3-of-7 three-point attempts and 4-of-11 field goals overall.
• Freshman forward Nana Appiah (Patterson, Calif.) was also in double-figures with ten points while leading the Golden Bears with six rebounds.

• Salve Regina junior guard Rodney Morton (Malden, Mass.) matched Pettway with  29 points on 9-of-15 shooting from the field, 4-of-5 from three-point distance and 7-of-8 from the free throw line.
• Senior forward Nicholas Bates (Danvers, Mass.) was also among four Seahawks to score in double-figures with 19 points to go with eight rebounds, four assists, one block and one steal.

Game Review
• After a jumper by Pettway tied the score at 11 five and a half minutes into the contest, Salve Regina used a 9-2 run to open up a 20-13 lead with 12 minutes left in the first half.
• Western New England answered with a 7-2 run to cut its deficit to two (22-20) at the 9:20 mark, but the Seahawks quickly pushed their advantage back to seven before taking a 39-30 lead into the break. The Golden Bears shot 54.2% (13-of-24) from the field in the first half.
• A tip-in by Salve Regina senior forward Connor Costello (Southborough, Mass.) just over three minutes into the second half gave the Seahawks a 15-point lead (49-34).
• Western New England was able to pull to within seven (60-53) on a jumper by Johnson with 7:49 remaining, and six (71-65) after a layup by Pettway with 3:27 on the clock that capped a 7-0 Golden Bear run.
• Western New England missed its next four shots, however, as Salve Regina held on for the win.

Notes
• Salve Regina shot 59.6% (28-of-47) from the field, while the Golden Bears posted a 46.4% (26-of-56) clip.
• Pettway's 29-point effort matches the second-highest total in his career. The sophomore scored 29 in a 71-57 loss to Endicott last January before netting a career-high 30 in a 95-89 setback at Nichols in early February.
• McGuire established season-highs in points (11), rebounds (five) and steals (two).

Up Next
Western New England (1-4) returns home to host Gordon on Saturday, while Salve Regina (3-3, 1-0 CCC) travels to the University of New England.