Hawks Pull Away from Golden Bears in Second Half for 81-58 Win

Pettway leads Western New England with 20 points, five rebounds & five assists

BRISTOL, R.I. (January 24, 2018) – The Roger Williams University men's basketball team used a strong second half performance to earn an 81-58 victory over Western New England University on Wednesday evening in Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) action at the Campus Recreation Center. 

Top Performers
• Junior guard Mikey Pettway (Bridgeport, Conn.) led the Golden Bears with a team-high 20 points on 8-of-16 shooting from the field and 4-of-6 from the free throw line to go with five rebounds and five assists.
• Sophomore guard Mike McGuire (Garden City, N.Y.) finished with ten points, seven rebounds and two blocks, while freshman guard Alex Sikorski (Rocky Hill, Conn.) chipped in with eight points on 3-of-3 shooting and four boards in 24 minutes off the bench.

• Junior guard Austin Coene (Tyngsborough, Mass.) fueled Roger Williams' second half surge, scoring 15 of his game-high 28 points over the final 20 minutes of play. Coene shot 10-of-20 from the field and 7-of-10 at the free throw line while also recording eight rebounds, seven assists and five steals.
• Senior forward Conor O'Brien (Sharon, Mass.) was also among the five Hawks to score in double figures with 13 points, and sophomore guard Rich Pugliese (Middlebury, Conn.) contributed 12 points, six rebounds, one steal and one block.

Game Review
The Golden Bears were in control for much of the first half, as they scored the first six points of the contest and held a 17-11 advantage following a Sikorski layup at the 13:24 mark. Western New England led by as much as nine (24-15) when McGuire connected from beyond the arc with 7:16 remaining in the half, but Roger Williams answered with an 8-0 run and pulled to within one (24-23) on a three-pointer by senior Jayen Jennings (Norwalk, Conn.) four minutes later. Pettway scored the final four points of the half as Western New England led 32-27 at the break.

With Roger Williams trailing by the same margin (45-40) following a Sikorski triple at the 13:27 mark, the Hawks began to chip away at their deficit, eventually regaining the lead (50-49) on a three-pointer by O'Brien midway through the half. The home team took control from there, utilizing a 10-0 run to establish a 55-49 edge with eight minutes to play. Roger Williams continued to pull away down the stretch to secure the victory.

Notes
• The Hawks shot 54.8 percent (17-of-31) from the field and outscored Western New England 54-26 in the second half.
• Pettway has recorded 20+ points in three straight games and ten times overall this season. He has scored 10+ points in all 17 contests.
• McGuire's career-high seven rebounds led the Golden Bears. 

Up Next
Western New England (8-9, 5-6 CCC) will look to bounce back on Saturday at Salve Regina, while Roger Williams (12-6, 6-5 CCC) hosts the University of New England.