BOSTON -- Alex Kravchuk put up 22 of his game-high 30 points in the 2nd half and the University of New England men's basketball team overcame an eight-point deficit with less than three minutes to go, defeating Wentworth Institute of Technology by a 74-72 margin to close out the Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) regular season on Saturday afternoon (Feb. 19) at Tansey Gymnasium.

The victory gives the Nor'easters (7-18, 6-12 CCC) a sweep of the Leopards (9-15, 6-12 CCC), and thus the seeding edge for the upcoming league tournament. The sides won't get much rest from each other, as No.8 UNE will now entertain No.9 WIT in the first round on Monday (7 p.m.). [Interactive Bracket]

Trey Carrier gave the hosts the largest margin of the day (70-62) with 2:57 remaining, but the gap didn't last long. Avery DeBrito took it the distance for a layup just seconds later for the Nor'easters, and stole the ensuing possession. Kravchuk added two free throws, and then Drake Gavin swiped another before finding Kravchuk for a transition triple from the right wing, cutting it to 70-69 at the 2:06 mark.

Two more at the line by Kravchuk flipped the lead momentarily (71-70), however Jack Connell countered for the Leopards with 1:07 on the clock (72-71). DeBrito secured an offensive board on UNE's next trip and fed Ric Castillo for the go-ahead lay-in with 0:46 showing.

Castillo was unable to complete the three-point play, but WIT turned it over prior to getting a look at edging in front. The Nor'easters couldn't convert on a couple freebies (0:17), leaving the door open for the Leopards, again. Wentworth's last jumper rimmed out and was snagged by Castillo, who then tacked on one more from the charity stripe with 0.4 remaining.

Kravchuk reached at least 30 points for the third time this season, and now stands 6th in the combined history of UNE, Westbrook College, and St. Francis College with 1,650 career points. Half of his production came on free throws (15-for-17), the fifth instance of the year sinking double digits at the line. He also claimed six caroms. DeBrito ended with 11 points eight rebounds, and four assists. Gavin registered seven points, four assists, and three steals. Ray Evans and Mark Rella contributed eight and seven points, respectively, off the bench.

Largely due to Kravchuk's frequency, UNE finished with a seven-point cushion on free throws (25-18). That helped negate being out-shot by eight percentage points (44%-36%) in the contest. The Nor'easters also benefited from 20 Wentworth turnovers, cashing them in for 24 points heading the other way.

Carrier notched 22 points and nine rebounds to top the Leopards. Kyle Henseler scored 14 and Connell supplied 12 points. Tyler Stewart pulled in 12 boards, powering a 45-35 advantage on the glass. Conor Rubenskas logged five rejections.

Neither team shot it particularly well in the 1st half (WIT 36%-30%), but UNE did manage to net 10 unanswered in a span of 1:48 to take its biggest cushion of the match at 25-19. The hosts closed with eight of the last 12, though, to trail 29-27 at the break. Connell immediately gave Wentworth an edge with a triple to start the 2nd, and while Rella briefly shifted the Nor'easters ahead (41-40, 13:05), the Leopards maintained a lead between two and seven until the very end.

The first time the squads met, on January 19 in Biddeford, the Nor'easters rallied from down 17 with under nine minutes remaining to book a 70-65 win. Kravchuk went 16-of-17 at the line and scored 28 in that one.