BRISTOL, R.I. – Trailing for most of the game, a late comeback effort by the Roger Williams University Men's Basketball team just fell short, as New England College escaped with a 47-44 win Saturday afternoon.

Down 35-45 with 7:39 to play, the Hawks held the Pilgrims scoreless over the next seven minutes to climb their way back into the contest, with a layup by Pat Flanagan (Somerville, Mass.) at the 3:27 mark pull the Hawks to within three.

From that point, stifling defense on both sides kept the score at 45-42 in favor of New England College until the final minute. With the Hawks looking to tie with 28 seconds to go, Corey Fava fired a straight-away three from the top of the key that rimmed off to the right. Flanagan's positioning allowed him to grab the offensive board and earn an and-one put-back with 24 seconds left to play.

Unfortunately for the Hawks, Flanagan's ensuing free throw did not go down, allowing the Pilgrims to hold on to a 45-44 advantage. After a Hawk foul on Jason Minerve (Narre Waren, Australia), the junior Pilgrim guard knocked down both free throws to push the lead back up to three.

On the Hawks' final possession, RWU worked the ball around until Tom Rafael (Ladera Ranch, Calif.) was lined up for a good look at a potential game-tying trey from the top of the key with four seconds left. His shot would rattle out, with Troy Prather (Claremont, Calif.) grabbing the game-sealing rebound for the Pilgrims.

The Hawks held New England College, who came into the game averaging 73.5 points per game, to its lowest point total of the season. Conversely, the Pilgrims stymied the Hawks on the offensive side of the ball, holding RWU to a 28.8 percent (15-52) clip from the field.

Shane Hennessey (Plymouth, England) finished with 16 points and seven rebounds for New England College. Minerve added eight points and two rebounds, while Abdirahman Mohamed contributed five points and four steal off the bench.

Flanagan went for a double-double in the game with 12 points and ten rebounds, to go along with four blocked shots. Taylor Petruccelli (Stratford, Conn.) led RWU with 13 points, three assists, and two steals. James LeCardi (Fair Haven, N.J.) finished with five points and two assists in his first home start of the season.

Roger Williams (11-6, 3-2 TCCC) plays at Endicott College Thursday at 8:00 p.m., while New England College (13-3, 3-2 TCCC) takes on Albany College of Pharmacy Tuesday at 7:00 p.m. in a rescheduled game.