BRISTOL, R.I. – The Roger Williams University Men's Basketball team earned a crucial Commonwealth Coast Conference victory over Western New England University Tuesday evening, defeating the Golden Bears 83-72.
 
Hawk Highlights
Drew Hart (Cheshire, Conn.): 28 points, 14 rebounds, 3 assists
JJ Pfohl (Trumbull, Conn.): 11 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 block, 1 steal
Eli Harris (Falmouth, Mass.): 18 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist
EJ Nelson (Essex Junction, Vt.): 8 points, 7 rebounds, 1 assist, 3 steals
 
For The Opponents
Zachary Tavitian (Milford, Conn.): 15 points, 8 rebounds, 1 assist, 3 blocks
Alex Sikorski (Rocky Hill, Conn.): 17 points, 3 rebounds, 1 steal
Mike McGuire (Garden City, N.Y.): 8 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals
Nick DeGennaro (Yorktown Heights, N.Y.): 8 points, 2 rebounds, 5 assists
 
How It Happened
The game saw five lead changes and two ties within the first four minutes of play, as both teams battled back and forth. A three-pointer by Eli Harris put Roger Williams up by two (9-7). The Hawks would later make it a six-point lead but a three by Mike McGuire brought it back down to two.
 
From there, it would remain a one-possession game for most of the rest of the half until Antonio Brancato (Fairfield, Conn.) put in a layup to put WNE back up by one. The Golden Bears would lead by as many as six with two minutes to play in the first half, but the Hawks ended the period on a 7-0 run to go into halftime up 42-41.
 
In the second, the Hawks built the lead up to eight with an 11-4 run to kick off the half. Western New England was able to later make it a one-point game, yet 13-2 run capped off by a Harris three gave RWU a 12-point lead with just under ten minutes remaining. The Golden Bears pulled within five late in the game but missed shots on four of their final five possessions allowed RWU to build the advantage to 12 with just over a minute to play. The Hawks would roll to the win from there.
 
What's Next
Roger Williams (12-7, 4-6 CCC): Saturday, February 1 vs. Wentworth @ 3:00pm
Western New England (11-8, 6-4 CCC): Saturday, February 1 at Salve Regina @ 3:00pm