BRISTOL, R.I. – The Roger Williams University men's basketball team fell short of completing a comeback against Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) foe Wentworth on Wednesday evening in the RWU Rec Center Gymnasium, 72-70.
 
The Hawks were led by Mac Annus (Belmont, Mass.) who tallied 23 points with an 8-15 shooting performance. Annus also pulled down five rebounds, three assists, and three steals. John Ah Kao (Dumont, N.J.) had nine points with seven rebounds, with three assists. Will MacDonald (York, Maine) chipped in eight points while shooting 50 percent from the floor with four assists.
 
Wentworth saw three players finish in double figures with Sam Goy scoring 23 points, Jack Connell scoring 16, and Tyler Stewart adding 15.  Goy and Stewart had nine rebounds with Stewart also dishing out seven assists.
 
With Wentworth holding a 15-14 advantage, Justin Tedeschi (Smithfield, R.I.) knocked down a three pointer with 11:12 remaining in the opening half to take a two point lead. Ah Kao added two points with a layup, but Connell responded with a bucket of his own to cut the lead back down to two.  The Hawks continued their run with threes by Ah Kao and Ty Higgins (New Marlborough, Mass.) connecting, sparking a 10-0 run, taking a 29-19 lead.
 
With the Hawks leading by 12 with 6:56 remaining, the Leopards were able to cut the lead down to six, with Roger Williams holding a 37-31 lead heading into the break.
 
The Hawks took a 10 point advantage with 15:34 remaining when Nate Lopes (Scituate, Mass.) connected with a three pointer.  The Leopards responded with a three by Goy to start a 13-0 run to take command of the game at 51-48.  Wentworth led 71-65 heading into the final 30 seconds of the game, but the Hawks were able to hold on to hold the deficit to five with 11 seconds remaining.  The Hawks were on the receiving end of a missed free throw before Annus drilled a three cutting the deficit to two.  The Hawks had an opportunity to hit a shot at the buzzer, but hit off the rim and out, closing the game.
 
Roger Williams (11-13, 8-7 CCC) will travel to play Nichols on Saturday, Feb. 17 at 3:00 pm, before finding out their fate as the CCC announces the Tournament Bracket.