Men's Basketball Overpowers UNE, Win 11th Straight

BIDDEFORD, MAINE. (January 21, 2023) – Western New England's men's basketball team had their 11^th straight win today on the road against the University of New England Nor'Easters, with a final score of 89-64.

Records:

• Western New England: 14-2, 10-0 CCC
• University of New England: 2-15, 0-10 CCC

How It Happened: The Golden Bears got off to a 6-0 start before the Nor'Easters put points on the scoreboard. The Golden Bears soon had a 10-point lead following some foul shots by Tim Restall and Jake Harrison, after five minutes of play. Brian Geitner's next few points were all on three-pointers, WNE ahead 25-7. The Nor' Easters also hit some three's, on the other end, Mike Resnick added one to his stats and a jumper for a 20-point Golden Bear lead halfway through the first half, 32-12. Back-to-back threes for UNE cut WNE's lead to just 14, another one a couple minutes later had UNE down 35-23. The Nor' Easters made it a 10-point game again at the one-minute mark, Cody Palazzesi's jump shot at the end of the half put WNE in the lead 41-29.

Nor'Easters come out the gate with a jumper to open the second. Geitner launched in a three for the Golden Bears, and it became a back-and-forth shooting game, Golden Bears holding on to their lead, the Nor'Easters not backing down. The game temple slowed down a little as Gavin Greene was sent to line, where he picked up one, and Geitner knocked in a jumper two plays later to increase their lead, 52-39. UNE fought to get under 10, they nailed a three-pointer, score 54-47, 12:45 in the second. Resnick's second three, and another foul shot from Harrsion had the Golden Bears back on top 60-48. They gathered a seven-point run, four from Greene, and three from Palazzesi, almost a 20-point lead again, seven minutes of play in the game. Some free-throws for UNE stopped WNE's run, Greene and Harrison quickly had them back on the scoreboard. Two minutes remaining, Palazzesi knocked in a three that ended the fight against the Nor'Easter, Harrison included a layup, score 84-61, Golden Bears. Ryan Michaels made his first career Golden Bear basket and Max Jones hit a three in the final thirty seconds, WNE won 89-64, for their 11^th straight win, 10^th in the conference.

On the Floor:

• As a team, the Golden Bears shot 58.6 percent from the floor, 47.1 percent from the three, and 41.9 percent from the foul line while gathering 52 rebounds, 20 assists, four blocks, and three steals.
• The Nor'Easters shot 33.8 percent from the hardwood, 29.2 percent from beyond the arc, and 56.5 percent from the free throw line while tallying 31 rebounds, seven assists, six steals, and two blocks.
• The Golden Bears were led by Brian Geitner, who had 20 points, nine rebounds, two blocks, and an assist. He went 7-14 in field goals, 4-8 from the three, and 2-3 from the line.
• Tim Restall had a quiet double-double, with 12 points and 15 rebounds, and both Jake Harrison and Gavin Greene added 15 points to the Golden Bears final score.

Up Next: The Golden Bears remain on the road for their next game in their CCC trip against the Wentworth Institute of Technology Leopards this Tuesday, January 24, for a 7:30 p.m. tipoff.