Alex Sikorski Reaches 1,000 Career Points as Men’s Basketball Defeats University of New England on Senior Day
| Final | 1 | 2 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
U. of New England (13-10,7-7 CCC) | 38 | 50 | 88 |
|
Western New Eng. (15-9,10-5 CCC) | 44 | 54 | 98 |
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (February 15, 2020) – The Western New England University men's basketball beat University of New England, 98-88, in Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) action on Saturday afternoon at the Alumni Healthful Living Center.
Top Performers
Junior guard Alex Sikorski (Rocky Hill, Conn.) scored 30 points, including his 1,000 career point, off the bench for the Golden Bears. Seniors Mike McGuire (Garden City, N.Y.) and Tim Reilly (Poughkeepsie, N.Y.) added 22 and 18 points, respectively. Junior forward Zachary Tavitian (Milford, Conn.) provided 14 points, 10 rebounds, and five blocks off the bench.
Junior guard Avery DeBrito (New Bedford, Mass.) led the Nor'easters with 20 points. Freshman Siddiq Canty (Dallas, Texas) scored 18 points and grabbed eight rebounds. Senior Jackson McCoy (East Montpelier, Vt.) added 17 points and seven rebounds.
Game Review
It was a back and forth contest to begin the game, with the Golden Bears taking an early 10-6 lead after a layup from Reilly. Western New England pushed the lead to eight after Sikorski made a jump shot to give the Golden Bears a 20-12 lead with 12:56 remaining in the half.
The Golden Bears held a 28-18 lead with 8:55 remaining in the half, then the Nor'easters went on an 11-0 scoring run to take a 29-28 lead. It wasn't long before Western New England took the lead back, and took a 44-38 lead going into the half.
University of New England took the lead once again off a layup from junior Alex Kravchuk (Mansfield, Conn.) to give the Nor'easters a 60-59 lead with 12:29 remaining in the second half. A jump shot from McGuire with 10:57 remaining gave the Golden Bears a 65-64 lead, the final lead change of the night.
A pair of free throws from Sikorski pushed the Western New England lead to 89-79 with 2:19 remaining. The Golden Bears received key free throws down the stretch from McGuire, Sikorski, and senior guard Cole Eiber (Albertson, N.Y.) to seal the win.
Notes
• Western New England now sits in third place in the CCC standings heading into their final game.
• Alex Sikosrki is the 25th player in Western New England men's basketball history to reach 1,000 career points.
Up Next
Western New England (15-9) hosts Wentworth for their regular season finale on Wednesday evening. University of New England (13-10) travels to Gordon on Wednesday evening.
