BRISTOL, R.I. – The Roger Williams University men's basketball team defeated Suffolk on Saturday afternoon in the Campus Rec Center, 79-76, winning their first Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) Tournament Title since the 1998-99 season.

This is the first CCC Title for Head Coach Mike Tully in his four CCC Final appearances. The Hawks were the No. 5 seed heading into the tournament, defeating No. 4 Wentworth, and the six-time defending champion No. 1 Nichols.

"I couldn't be more proud of this team," said Tully, "They fought all year through a lot of adversity but never stopped guys believing in one another or what they could accomplish."

John Ah Kao (Dumont, N.J.) had 17 points with four rebounds, shooting an efficient 7-13 from the floor, he also had three assists. Mac Annus (Belmont, Mass.) tallied 13 points with five rebounds and a pair of rebounds on the game. Philip Sughrue (Winchester, Mass.) also had double-digit points, with 10 points and seven boards on the day with four assists.

Danny Yardemian had 27 points with two rebounds, and a pair of assists to lead the Rams offense with a steal on the defensive end. Keenan Robertson also had 22 points with 11 rebounds with five assists on the day.
The Hawks opened the day with a three from Annus, but Suffolk was able to follow with a layup by Evan Cook to keep the game at one after the opening possessions of both teams.

Both teams would be scoreless until the 16:02 mark of the first half, when Ah Kao finished on a layup, the two teams then traded buckets until a three by Yardemian put the Rams up by three.  The Hawks and Rams played to an 11-11 tie over the next minute but Yardemian hit another three with 12:48 remaining in the half to go up 14-11.

The Rams expanded their lead to six but Devin Johnson (Ridgewood, N.J.) finished a layup and Annus also followed with a jumper of his own to cut the lead to two. With the Hawks trailing by three, Suffolk hit back-to-back shots to go up by seven, but the Hawks again responded with a three by Ah Kao, starting a stretch that they outscored the Rams 6-2 over a short stretch.

The two teams played to a Suffolk lead with 5:09 remaining with a three by Ah Kao giving Roger Williams the lead with 4:45 remaining.  The Rams leveled the score at 32 apiece, but the Rams closed out the half with a 6-3 run to secure the lead heading into the half.

In the second half the Hawks leveled the score at 42-42, but Yardemian knocked down a jumper, before Sughrue hit a three to take a 45-44 lead with 16:16 remaining. Roger Williams expanded their lead to eight after Johnson finished a layup attempt with 12:56 remaining but the Rams again came back, leveling the score at 61 with 9:54 left in regulation.

With the score level, Annus responded the next possession with a three to regain eh lead. Roger Williams led 64-62, but Cole Levangie hit a three with 8:42 remaining to give Suffolk the lead. The two teams were level with 4:42 remaining but a foul gave Suffolk a pair of shots at the line with Keenan Robertson knocking both down. Ah Kao came down the floor finishing on a jumper in the paint to level the score at 72, but the Rams answered with Robertson finishing a layup with 3:17 still on the clock. The Hawks next trip down the floor saw Sughrue finish on a jumper to level the score at 72-72, and the Rams answered with a jumper by Yardemian to take a two-point lead with 2:28 remaining.

Roger Williams then came out of a timeout with Finn Miller (Stamford, Conn.) draining a three with 2:07 on the clock to retake the lead, and the Hawks iced the game with 11 seconds remaining with a layup by Will MacDonald (York, Maine) to seal the win.

Following the game, Coach Tully said, "I am incredibly proud of this team and they are a true team in every sense of the word!"

Roger Williams (14-14, 8-8 CCC) awaits the announcement of the NCAA Division III Men's Basketball Tournament Bracket, which is set to be unveiled Monday, Feb. 26 at 1:00 pm.