BOSTON, Mass. – A layup by freshman forward Pat Flanagan (Somerville, Mass.) with 56 seconds left gave Roger Williams a 44-43 lead and a free throw by senior guard Billy Barrett (Fairfield, Conn.) with 17 ticks to go extended the lead to a pair as the Hawks held on to defeat Wentworth, 45-43, in a The Commonwealth Coast Conference contest played at Tansey Gymnasium.
In a game where both teams had trouble hitting shots, Wentworth, despite missing its first eight shots, held a 6-2 lead with 16:00 left in the half. After a basket by Flanagan, Wentworth pushed its lead back to four on a basket by freshman forward Uche Egesionu (Randolph, Mass.). However, senior forward Ryan McGinn (Plattsburgh, N.Y.) would hit a three pointer and Flanagan and Barrett would each add baskets of their own to give the Hawks an 11-8 lead with 12:59 left.
After Egesionu hit one of two free throws, freshman guard Brendan Monteiro (Brockton, Mass.) would hit a pair of free throws to tie the game at 11-all. McGinn followed with a basket of his own and the Hawks would eventually build a five-point lead (16-11) with 7:27 left.
Trailing by four with 4:28 left, junior forward Shane West (Saco, Maine) cut the lead in half before Egesionu scored four consecutive points and senior guard Kevin Wentworth (Ware, Mass.) hit a jumper to put Wentworth ahead, 23-19. One of two free throws by senior guard Tucker Bashaw (Williston, Vt.) with 1:44 left trimmed the lead to three and, nearly a minute later, Bashaw's basket cut the lead to one. A Flanagan layup with one second left capped off a 5-0 spurt and sent the Hawks into the locker room with a 24-23 lead. Wentworth would shoot just 21.2 percent (7-for-33) from the floor, while Roger Williams was 10-for-29 (34.5 percent).
Roger Williams extended its lead to as much as four early in the second half, and, after the Leopards tied it on a Monteiro basket, the Hawks would eventually lead by as much as six (35-29) with 9:02 remaining. The Leopards reeled off the next eight points to take a 37-35 lead with 4:20 left before the lead who change hands four times over the next 1:36, with Egesionu hitting a jumper to give Wentworth a 41-40 lead with 2:46 left.
After Monteiro increased the lead to three with 2:03 left, Barrett countered with a layup to cut the lead to one. Wentworth had four chances to increase the lead, but could not convert on its attempts. After a missed shot by Barrett, Monteiro would get the rebound, but commit a turnover. On Roger Williams' ensuing possession, Flanagan hit a layup that gave the hawks the lead for good.
On the next trip down the court the Leopards had a pair of chances to re-take the lead, but, again, could not convert and Barrett was fouled with 17 seconds left. He hit the first and missed the second, giving Roger Williams a 45-43 lead. Wentworth had a great look at the end, but Wentworth's three from the right corner just missed as time expired.
Flanagan led all scorers with 15 points to go along with five blocked shots. McGinn added 11 points and seven rebounds. For Wentworth, Egesionu had a career-high 13 points off the bench, while West hauled down 16 rebounds. The Hawks shot 31.4 percent from the floor for the game (16-for-51), while Wentworth was just 14-for-59 (23.7 percent). The Leopards won the battle on the boards, 55-37.
The win, Roger Williams' second straight, improves the Hawks' record to 6-8 overall and 2-1 in league play. The Hawks travel to Gordon Wednesday night at 8:00 p.m. Wentworth drops its second straight contest to fall to 4-11 (1-2). The Leopards host Western New England Wednesday night at 7:30 p.m.
- Release courtesy of the Wentworth Institute of Technology Sports Information Department
