Western New England Dealt 70-60 Setback at Dean

Tavitian posts fourth career 20-point performance

FRANKLIN, Mass. (November 26, 2018) – The Western New England University men's basketball team struggled offensively in a 70-60, non-conference setback to Dean College on Monday evening at Pieri Gymnasium.  

Top Performers
Western New England was led by sophomore forward Zachary Tavitian (Milford, Conn.), who scored a team-high 20 points to go with seven rebounds and one block.

Junior guard Mike McGuire (Garden City, N.Y.) added 15 points, six boards, three assists, one steal and one block, while senior guard Mikey Pettway (Bridgeport, Conn.) chipped in with 13 points, six rebounds, six assists, two steals and one block.

Dean junior forward Josh Croskey (Union, N.J.) posted a double-double with 15 points, 13 rebounds, three assists, two steals and two blocks.

Senior guard Dayvon Russell (Naugatuck, Conn.) also scored 15 points for the Bulldogs.

Game Review
The Golden Bears were in control early, as Tavitian, McGuire and sophomore Alex Sikorski (Rocky Hill, Conn.) all made three-pointers to help fuel Western New England's 13-3 lead just under six minutes into the contest. 

Dean closed out the first half on a 23-12 run, however, to claim a 26-25 edge at the break.

Western New England took its final lead of the contest (30-28) on a three-pointer by Tavitian 1:37 into the second half.

The Bulldogs tied the game on a jumper by junior Jordan Booker (Waterbury, Conn.) 16 seconds later, before pulling ahead for good (32-30) on a Brandon Szlaien (Buenos Aires, Argentina) layup at the 17:23 mark.

Dean's advantage grew to five (35-30) when Booker connected from beyond the arc shortly after, but the Golden Bears stayed within striking distance and trailed by just one (41-40) following a Pettway layup with 10:59 remaining.

The Bulldogs never relinquished their lead, however, as they answered with a 10-2 run that culminated in a Russell three-pointer at the 5:50 mark.

Western New England rallied one final time late, closing the gap to four (61-57) on a McGuire triple with 2:09 to go, but Dean was able to seal the win with the help of a pair of key treys from sophomore Randolf Thurman (Swampscott, Mass.) and Russell.

Notes
• Western New England was limited to a season-low 32.3 percent shooting from the field.
• Tavitian reached the 20-point mark for the second time this season and fourth time in his career.

Up Next
Western New England (2-3) returns home on Wednesday to open Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) play against Roger Williams at 7:30 p.m. Dean (3-2) wraps up its five-game homestand against Bridgewater State on Thursday.