#6 Men's Basketball Upsets #3 Roger Williams in CCC Quarterfinal, Punch Ticket to CCC Semifinals on Thursday

BRISTOL, R.I. (February 22, 2022) – The Western New England men's basketball team upset the hosting #3 seed Roger Williams University Hawks on Tuesday night on the road to move into the CCC semifinal game for the first time since 2018-2019. Alex Sikorski led the Golden Bears with 27 points on the night while Brian Geitner contributed 20 points for WNE in the win. 

Records:

• Western New England: 13-13
• Roger Williams University: 14-10

How it Happened:

After being taken down twice during the regular season, the #6 seeded Golden Bears traveled to the #3 seeded Roger Williams University Hawks on Tuesday night, vying for a spot in the semifinal game on Thursday night. Both teams started off with nerves, grabbing just two points each in the first three minutes of the game. Gavin Greene quickly opened the game for the Golden Bears with a layup, putting WNE ahead 2-0. Mac Annus would lead the Hawks in the first half, grabbing a layup at the 16:35 mark to even the score at two. Annus would grab the first five points on the night for Roger Williams, scoring a three-point basket to give RWU a 5-2 lead. Western New England would stay with the Hawks, as Brian Geitner cashed in on a jumper with 14:34 to play in the half to give Western New England their lead right back. The first half went back and forth as Alex Sikorski, Kenny Flynn, and Geitner would keep WNE within two points of the lead until the Hawks would open the game up late in the first half. 

Annus would help Roger Williams take a six-point lead with just under six minutes to play in the first half while teammate EJ Nelson scooped in a layup to give the Hawks an eight-point lead. Roger Williams collected an 11-point lead with 1:33 to play in the half when Drew Hart connected from distance. Western New England would trail by eight at the half, as Sikorski would nail a jumper in the final seconds of the half. Roger Williams would flip the script on the Golden Bears from their last regular season game, just three nights ago, when the Golden Bears took a 11-point lead at half. WNE managed to shoot just 39.3% from the field in the opening 20 minutes of play while their opponent shot 42.4% from the field, though connected from three-point land four times compared to Western New England's one. 

The Golden Bears would catch fire to open the second half as their eight-point deficit would turn into a two-point lead in less than four minutes to start the second half. Sikorski would start the Golden Bears with the first five points of the quarter, knocking down a three-point shot and following that up with a made dunk, quickly putting the Golden Bears behind by three. Geitner would make a layup to put the score at 33-32 before RWU's EJ Nelson made a layup to stop the scoring run for WNE.  Sikorski would drill a clutch three-point shot to give Western New England their first lead since the early goings of the contest with 16:48 to play in the game. Both teams would exchange baskets through the next five minutes of the game before Western New England would go on a big scoring streak to re-take a big lead with seven minutes to play in the contest. Made free throws from Geitner would spark an 8-0 that favored WNE as Sikorski and Jake Harrison would contribute on the offensive end to give the Golden Bears a 55-48 lead with 7:12 to play. With 5:46 to play in the half, Drew Hart would dial up a three-pointer for Roger Williams, cutting the Golden Bears seven-point lead to just a two-point lead in a minute and a half. Sikorski, would lead the Golden Bears all night long, would convert a jump shot with 3:38 remaining to give Western New England a 60-55 lead. The Golden Bears lead would get as big as seven points down the stretch before Annus would collect a three-point shot with under two minutes to play for the Hawks to send the Golden Bears lead to just four points. Hart would strike again for the Golden Bears with just 23 seconds reaming when he drew contact in the paint before scoring a layup to head to the line for the three-point play. Hart would convert, locking the score at 65-63 in favor of WNE. With four seconds remaining, the Golden Bears would make a defensive stand and Sikorski would convert the last point of the game at the free throw line to punch the Golden Bears ticket into the semifinal round. Western New England would shock the Hawks 67-63, taking down RWU for the first time this season. 

Inside the Paint:

• After shooting just 39.3% in the first half, Western New England came out firing in the second half, knocking down 14-27 field goals, led by Alex Sikorski who fired home four three-point shots and seven field goals total in the second half, collecting 21 second half points. Sikorski would finish the night with 27 points, seven rebounds, five assists, and four steals. 
• Brian Geitner collected 20 points for Western New England, shooting 8-18 from the field, while hitting four big free throws down the stretch to send the Golden Bears into the semifinal round. Geitnercollected eight rebounds and two steals, as well. 
• Jake Harrison turned it on in the second half, shooting 3-4 from the field while ripping down seven boards, an assist, and a steal, collecting nine second half points. 
• The Hawks shot just 34.4% from the field in the second half, including 3-12 from distance. In total, RWU shot 50% from the free throw line. 
• The Golden Bears punch their ticket into the CCC semifinal round for the first time since joining the conference.  
• RWU was led by Drew Hart, who scored 20 points on the night. Teammate Mac Annus dropped 14 for the Hawks, though coming up with just four in the final 20 minutes of play. 
• WNE outrebounded Roger Williams 40-34, though the Hawks came away with the 9-8 advantage in offensive rebounds, a category the Golden Bears have dominated for much of the season. 

Up Next on the Schedule:

• With the win, Western New England will meet #2 Salve Regina in the CCC semifinal round on Thursday, February 24 at 7:00 pm. The two teams split the regular season series, with the home team winning their respective games. 
• Roger Williams sees their season come to an end with the loss. The Hawks close the season with a 14-10 record.