NEW LONDON, Conn. - Ulises Veras (Lawrence, Mass.) buried a critical three-point field goal with 43 seconds left in overtime, lifting Connecticut College (2-2) to 61-59 victory against Roger Williams University (1-3) at Luce Fieldhouse Tuesday night. Veras hauled in a game-high 10 rebounds to go with two steals and two assists for the winning side.
Shavar Bernier (Dover, N.H.) poured in a game-high 18 points for the Camels, adding eight rebounds and three assists in the victory. Bernier was 6-for-9 from the field and 3-for-5 from beyond the arc. Billy Karis (Potsdam, N.Y.) had 10 points and four assists for Connecticut College.
Scott Siedor (Bloomfield, Conn.) provided 27 valuable minutes off the bench, netting nine points and hauling in five boards. Connecticut College head coach Tom Satran was pleased with his team's effort.
Our guys played really hard on defense which wasn't easy to do after the short turnaround from the weekend," Satran said. "They really left everything they had on the floor. Ulises did a great job rebounding and Shavar made a lot of big plays. All four of our centers contributed in different ways. Little by little the younger guys are learning the offense. We are improving every day on that end. Hopefully, we'll play a great offensive game soon."
Pat Flanagan (Somerville, Mass.) was 6-for-8 from the field, leading the visitors with a team-high 13 points. Taylor Petruccelli (Stratford, Conn.) chipped in with 12 points and eight rebounds for Roger Williams. Michael Woolley (Seattle, Wash.) had 11 points and seven rebounds for RWU.
The Hawks executed a 14-to-0 run in the first half to turn a five-point deficit into their largest lead of the game, 20-11. Flanagan capped the rally for the Hawks, converting a field goal with 5:40 to play in the half. The Camels responded though by scoring the next 12 points with a furious run of their own. Karis buried a triple with 2:28 to go that completed the rally and put the hosts back on top 23-20. Connecticut College extended its lead in the closing moments, taking a 28-21 advantage at the intermission.
The Camels continued to build their advantage in the second half, building an 11-point cushion with a Bernier field goal at the 13:19 mark of the half. But the Hawks were a resilient team and made their move with a 12-to-2 run to pull even with the Camels in a 45-45 tie with 4:35 to go. The last four minutes of play was nip and tuck.
In the final minute of regulation, Bernier drove the lane and converted a hoop to go with the harm for a three-point conversion that staked the Camels to 52-49 edge with 39 seconds left. The Hawks were sent to the line with six seconds to play. Billy Barrett (Fairfield, Conn.) knocked down the first shot and intentionally missed the second. The ball bounced out to Flanagan, who was able to convert a field goal from the baseline with 3.5 seconds to play that forced the seventh tie of the night at 52.
In the overtime session, Karis nailed a three with 3:43 to play to put the Camels up two, 57-55. After the Hawks tied the game at the foul line, Connecticut College regained possession of the ball with 1:15 to go. As the shot clock was winding down, Bernier hit Veras on the right side for the deep three that put the Camels back on top 60-57.
The Camels were able to hold on for the 61-59 victory.
- Release courtesy of the Connecticut College Sports Information Department
