Men’s Basketball Overcomes 12-Point Deficit in Second Half to Top Wentworth, 64-60

BOSTON, Mass. (January 11, 2020) – The Western New England University men's basketball team overcomes a 12-point deficit in the second half to win 64-60 in CCC action on Saturday afternoon at Tansey Gymnasium.

Top Performers
Junior guard Alex Sikorski (Rocky Hill, Conn.) led the Golden Bears with 21 points. Senior guard Nick DeGennaro (Yorktown Heights, N.Y.) added 15 points. Junior forward Zachary Tavitian (Milford, Conn.) grabbed 10 rebounds. 

Three players for the Leopards were one rebound short of a double-double. Junior Trey Carrier (Wilton, N.H.) had 13 points, while junior Kyle Henseler (Coventry, R.I.) and senior Stephen Azums (Hyde Park, Mass.) scored 11 and 10, respectively.

Game Review
The Golden Bears and Leopards traded baskets to begin throughout the first five minutes of the game, with the Leopards taking a 10-9 lead. All nine Golden Bear points came off 3-pointers, two of which were made by DeGennaro. With the score at 10-9, the Leopards went on a 12-5 run over the next eight and a half minutes to take a 22-14 lead. 

A made 3-pointer by Tavitian started a 9-0 run by the Golden Bears, giving them their first lead of the afternoon. Wentworth responded by going on a 9-2 run to give the Leopards a 31-25 lead going into halftime. 

A jump shot by Henseler just over two minutes into the half gave the Leopards a 37-25 lead, their largest lead of the game. DeGennaro and senior guard Mike McGuire (Garden City, N.Y.) combined to go on a 12-0 run for the Golden Bears to tie the game at 37 at the 14:53 mark.

Wentworth went ahead and held onto the lead until a layup by McGuire gave the Golden Bears a 59-58 lead with 2:15 to play. The Leopards responded on the next possession on a layup by Azums to take back the lead. With 1:30 left, Sikorski went to the foul line, hitting both free throws to give the Golden Bears a 61-60 lead. A late free throw by sophomore Kenny Flynn (Dudley, Mass.) iced the game for the Golden Bears, giving them the 64-60 victory.

Notes
• Western New England is now 4-1 in CCC play this season, their best start in conference play since the 2009-10 season.
• The Golden Bears have won three straight and five of their last six games.

Up Next
Western New England (9-5) returns home for the first time in 2020 on Wednesday evening to face off against Nichols in a matchup of two of the top three teams in the CCC. Wentworth (11-4) is at Gordon on Wednesday evening.