BRISTOL, R.I. – The Roger Williams University Men's Basketball team stepped out of conference play Tuesday for a tilt against Suffolk University, coming away with an 80-67 win over the Rams.
 
Hawk Highlights
Drew Hart (Cheshire, Conn.): 27 points [career high], 5 rebounds, 3 assists
Rich Pugliese (Middlebury, Conn.): 14 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists
JJ Pfohl (Trumbull, Conn.): 6 points, 7 rebounds, 7 assists
Eli Harris (Falmouth, Mass.): 12 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists
 
For The Opponents
Nate Hale (Nashua, N.H.): 10 points, 1 rebound, 1 assist, 1 block, 2 steals
William Rowe (Reston, Va.): 11 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 blocks
Brendan Mulson (Albany, N.Y.): 13 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist
Max Bonney-Liles (Hudson, N.H.): 14 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 block, 2 steals
 
How It Happened
The game was tight early on, with four ties and three lead changes in the first half. Halfway through the period, Roger Williams used a 10-3 run to go up by nine (25-16), but Suffolk fought its way back into the game. A 17-4 run turned the Rams nine-point deficit into a four-point lead with 6:22 left in the first half.
 
Drew Hart paced the way for RWU, finishing the first half with 19 points on 8-of-9 shooting including 3-for-3 from behind the arc. However, despite his efforts, Suffolk went into halftime with a two-point advantage (43-41).
 
The second half saw both sides trade points early in the period. Then with the score knotted at 47, Roger Williams used an 11-3 run to go up by eight with 13:04 left. A pair of Rich Pugliese free throws would put RWU up by double digits with 11:04 left to play, while a three-pointer by EJ Nelson later gave the Hawks their largest lead, a 16-point advantage with 3:25 left (78-62).
 
What's Next
Roger Williams (7-3): Monday, December 30 vs. Worcester State @ 4:00pm
Suffolk (5-4): Saturday, December 14 vs. UMass-Boston @ 1:00pm