Men’s Basketball Posts 91-63 Victory over Pratt In Final Regular Season Home Game

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (February 14, 2022) – The Western New England men's basketball team took down the Pratt Institute Cannoneers on Monday night in the final non-conference and regular season home game for the Golden Bears. Gavin Greene and Andrew Byfield led the way for WNE collecting 14 points apiece in the win. 

Records:

• Western New England: 12-11
• Pratt Institute: 4-17

How it Happened:

The Cannoneers kept the game close in the first half, making the Golden Bears connect on tough shot after tough shot. Alex Sikorski led the Golden Bears off with the first basket of the game on an assist from Jake Harrison to quickly put WNE ahead. Pratt came back with a quick basket and both teams would trade baskets down to the 14-minute mark of the first half when the Cannoneers took their first lead of the game when Daniel Golub made a layup to give Pratt a 10-9 lead. Western New England would not let that last as Brian Geitner would connect from 15-feet out and Gavin Greene would score a layup on the next drive to give Western New England their lead again. WNE would break out an eight-point lead when Harrison drove to the basket and collected some contact from Seth Bratcher of Pratt, scored the bucket, and went to the line for a three-point play. 

Pratt would close their deficit at the eight-minute mark as Julian Stoll made a basket to give the Golden Bears just a four-point lead. Kenny Flynn would connect at the rim to give Western New England a seven-point lead with 7:15 to play. Pratt would cut Western New England's seven-point lead to a two-point lead with under four minutes remaining, though the Golden Bears would hit shots just as Pratt would get closer as Harrison came away with a three-point shot and a layup, while Flynn extended WNE's lead to nine with 45 seconds to play. WNE took that nine-point lead, 40-31 into the break. WNE shot 54.8% from the field in the opening 20 minutes as Harrison would lead the Golden Bears with 12 points. 

An explosive offensive Golden Bears team would come out of the break and into the second half to put Pratt away early. Sikorski would lead off the second half as he did in the first, though this time he was able to cash in from distance to give Western New England a double digit lead. Flynn would convert on a dunk to energize the Golden Bears crowd and bench while Sikorski would finish a layup at the rim on the next sequence to put WNE ahead by 14 just under two minutes of elapsed time in the opening of the second half. Western New England would continue to pour it on Pratt, having scored 11 points in a row before Pratt could score a basket in the early goings of the second half. The second half belonged to the Golden Bears, including Andrew Byfield, who shot 3-3 from the field, including knocking down one three-point shot while grabbing six rebounds and a steal. Western New England also saw Greene convert on the offensive end, finishing with 11 points in the half, including 5-6 from the field. The Golden Bears would continue their offensive attack on Pratt, extending their lead to 23 points with seven minutes to play in the game. Patrick O'Gorman led the Cannoneers with 19 points on the night off 7-13 shooting. Byfield's three-point shot sealed the deal with under two minutes to play in the contest, giving the Golden Bears a big 30-point lead, finishing out the night by winning 91-63 over the Pratt Institute Cannoneers on Monday night. 

Inside the Arc:

• Western New England shot 55.2% from the field in the 40 minutes of play, including knocking down six three-point shots. The Golden Bears converted 11-15 free throws in the game as well. 
• Gavin Greene led Western New England with 17 points on the night, shooting 8-11 from the field while grabbing three rebounds and one assist. Kenny Flynn, Andrew Byfield, Brian Geitner, Alex Sikorski, and Jake Harrison all finished in double digits in scoring for the Golden Bears. 
• Western New England ripped down 41 rebounds to Pratt's 23 on the night. Tim Restall collected nine rebounds to lead the Golden Bears. 
• This is the first ever meeting between the two schools. 

Up Next on the Schedule:

• Western New England plays their final two games on the road, traveling to Salve Regina University (Wednesday, February 16) and to Roger Williams University (Saturday, February 19). 
• Pratt wraps up their regular season schedule by visiting Sarah Lawrence College on Thursday, February 17.