Men’s Basketball Falls at Home to Curry

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (January 22, 2020) – The Western New England University men's basketball team fell at home to Curry by a score of 73-71 on Wednesday evening at the Alumni Healthful Living Center.

Top Performers
The Colonels were led by 23 points from senior Daymeann Stewart (Milwaukee, Wis.). Senior Jared Thorpe-Johnson (Dorchester, Mass.) added 21 points. Freshman Michael Ashley (Atlanta, Ga.) grabbed 16 rebounds for the Colonels.

Senior forward Zachary Tavitian (Milford, Conn.) led the way for the Golden Bears scoring 19 points, grabbing 13 rebounds, while having a career-high seven blocks. Junior guard Alex Sikorski (Rocky Hill, Conn.) had 12 points and grabbed nine rebounds.

Game Review
The Colonels jumped out to an early 8-1 lead after a 3-pointer from Thorpe-Johnson. The Golden Bears fought back to take a 10-8 lead after a layup from senior guard Nick DeGennaro (Yorktown Heights, N.Y.) with 13:38 remaining in the half. Both teams exchanged leads over the next five minutes.

The Colonels held a 22-18 lead with 9:22 remaining in the half. The Golden Bears went on a 12-0 run to take a 30-22 lead with seven minutes remaining on the half. The Golden Bears pushed their lead to as many as 12, when sophomore forward Jared Sancho (North Haven, Conn.) made a layup to give the Golden Bears a 42-30 lead with just under a minute left in the half.

Curry went on a 13-2 run after Sancho's basket, cutting the lead down to one. With 10:44 to go in the game, senior guard Cole Eiber (Albertson, N.Y.) made a jump shot to give the Golden Bears a 57-51 lead. The Colonels went on a 10-0 run over the next three minutes to take a 61-57 lead.

The Golden Bears continued to fight back, making it a one possession game after a 3-pointer by DeGennaro with 1:20 remaining. Western New England fell just short of the comeback, falling 73-71 to Curry.

Notes
• Western New England suffered their first loss in 2020.
• Tavitian's seven blocks were a career-high.

Up Next
Western New England (11-6) will host Endicott on Saturday afternoon. Curry (5-12) will host Roger Williams on Saturday afternoon.