BRISTOL, R.I. – The Roger Williams University Men's Basketball ended up on the losing end of its first overtime game of the season, as the Hawks were defeated by the University of New England Saturday afternoon by a 73-71 score.

The Hawks cut an 11-point first-half deficit to five at the break, trailing 30-25 entering halftime and came all the way back to take their first lead of the game on a three-point play by Mike Igoe (Lexington, Mass.), making it 43-42 with 10:08 to play.

His bucket would set up a frantic conclusion in regulation, marked by four lead changes and four ties over the final ten minutes. A jumper by Gary Madison (Waterbury, Conn.) gave Roger Williams a 57-52 advantage with five-and-a-half minutes to play, and the Hawks maintained that lead through most of the remainder of the game. Yet Marcus Winn (Austin, Texas) knocked down a pair of free throws with 1:59 left to put the Nor'Easters back up 63-62.

On the next Nor”Easter possession, Quentin Thompson (Austin, Texas) drove through the paint for a layup with with 58 seconds left to extend the lead to three. Corey Fava (Aliso Viejo, Calif.) responded for the Hawks with a game-tying trey with 36 ticks left that ultimately sent the game into overtime knotted at 65 apiece.

In the extra period, scoring was scarce early on before Madison's layup 1:15 into the extra frame put the Hawks up by a basket. Winn came down on the other end and buried a three-pointer to put UNE back up by a point. The lead held up for the Nor'Easters until Madison knocked down a jump with 1:15 to play to give RWU a 71-69 advantage.

With 51 seconds to play, Franco Foti (Cross River, N.Y.) hit a clutch three-pointer for UNE, going up 72-71. On the ensuing possession for RWU, the Hawks turned the ball over with 17 seconds left, forcing RWU to foul. Winn hit the first free throw, but missed the second, with Justin Hook (Myrtle Beach, S.C.) grabbing the board for RWU and securing a possession that could potentially win the game. 

On RWU's final possession, the Hawks got the ball to Matt Grossbard (Pearl River, N.Y.) who drove down the left side for a layup that had a chance to tie the game, but rimmed off the front lip. The Hawks grabbed the offensive board, but turned the ball over with one second remaining before getting off another shot.

Winn finished with a game-high 20 points off the bench, with teammate Thompson adding nine points, 12 rebounds, and four steals. Foti and Keith Beasley (Austin, Texas) added ten and 11, respectively.

Madison scored 19 points for RWU with seven assists and six rebounds, while Tom Rafael (Ladera Ranch, Calif.) went for eight points and eight boards. Fava scored 15 points in the game but was held without an assist for only the third time in his career and the first time since February 26, 2008.

Roger Williams (11-10, 3-6 TCCC) hosts Anna Maria College Tuesday at 8:00 p.m. in the team's final home game of the regular season, while the University of New England (10-10, 6-3 TCCC) will play Endicott Tuesday at 8:00 p.m. at home.