Jan 17, 2015
BIDDEFORD, Maine -- Five different players scored between 11 and nine points to pace Roger Williams University to a 63-52 Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) men's basketball victory over the University of New England on Saturday afternoon (Jan. 17) at the Harold Alfond Forum.
The Hawks (7-8, 5-3 CCC) received 11 points from both junior Josh McCourt and first-year Jaylen Jennings, and 10 more out of sophomore Andrew Wasik. Senior Ryan Palumbo and first-year Conor O'Brien scored nine points apiece, while the game-high 11 rebounds from O'Brien helped the visitors establish a 43-33 advantage on the glass.
Sophomores CJ Autry and Jean-Luc Parker paced the Nor'easters (5-10, 3-5 CCC) with 14 and 12 points, respectively. Junior Devin Thompson and first-year Drew Coveney chipped in with eight points each, and Coveney also recorded six steals to go with four assists. First-year Evrim Ozkan collected a team-best nine rebounds.
Both offensive units struggled a bit during the 1st half with shooting and turnovers. UNE led 19-16 in the closing minutes of the period before Roger Williams scored eight unanswered to gain a 24-19 cushion at intermission. Wasik tallied the last five, including a buzzer-beating trey from the top of the arc.
Thompson converted a three-point play to begin the 2nd frame, but O'Brien responded with one of his own and the Hawks quickly extended to a 31-22 lead capped by a pair of baskets from Palumbo.
The gap peaked at 15 (41-26) with just under 12 minutes to go, and the hosts could only get as close as eight (51-43, 59-51) down the stretch.
RWU returns home to face Gordon College (3-5 CCC) on Tuesday (7:30 p.m.). At the same time, the Nor'easters are scheduled to visit Curry College (1-7 CCC).