BOSTON, Mass. – Five players scored in double figures, including freshman Jherson Colon (Boston, Mass.) who had 21 points and nine rebounds in his first collegiate game, as the Wentworth Institute of Technology men's basketball team opened the 2013-14 season with an 88-71 win over Emmanuel at the Emerson College Tip-Off Tournament.
The win was the first for rookie head coach Arlen Galloway, who became the first Leopard head men's basketball coach to post a victory in their inaugural game on the bench.
Over the first four minutes of the game there was one tie and six lead changes, with the last coming on a basket from sophomore Cam Sennick (Wilton, Maine) with 16:02 left. That basket began a 9-0 run for the Black & Gold. Sennick would have four points and senior Derek Mayo (Casco, Maine) would add three during the run.
Emmanuel cut the lead down to four (16-12) with 13:54 left on a junior Philwakin Tate (Bloomfield, Conn.) layup, however back-to-back threes from Colon gave Wentworth its first double-digit lead of the half. The Saints cut the lead back to four on a pair of occasions, and, after a Tate basket made it a 27-22 game with 7:52 left, Wentworth went on a 12-0 run, capped off by a sophomore Ronnie Turner (Lewiston, Maine) shot from the arc, to take a 17-point lead with 5:00 left.
The Saints worked the lead down to eight on a pair of free throws from freshman Kyle Smith (Los Angeles, Calif.) with 1:08 left and would trail by five (48-43) at the break. Wentworth shot 68.2 percent from the floor over the first 20 minutes, which included going 5-for-9 from behind the arc.
After Emmanuel cut the lead to four during the opening minute of the second half, the Leopards used an 18-5 run to take a 68-51 lead with 11:23 left on a junior Nico Donato (Glatonbury, Conn.) layup. The Saints whittled the lead down to nine (74-65) with 4:41 left, however a 12-0 Leopard run over the next three minutes broke the game open.
Colon shot 8-for-14 from the floor and grabbed nine rebounds to lead the Black & Gold. Donato had a career-high 19 points – which included going 4-for-4 from the floor and 9-for-11 from the line, freshman Brian O'Neill (Green Pond, N.J.) scored 11, Sennick added 10, and Turner had 10 and seven assists. As a team Wentworth shot 58.7 percent from the floor and held the Saints to 35.9 percent.
Smith led Emmanuel with 14 points, including going 8-for-8 from the charity stripe, while Tate added 13 and eight rebounds.
Wentworth (1-0) will face the winner of the Framingham State/Emerson game at 7:30 p.m., while Emmanuel (0-1) will face that game's loser at 5:30 p.m.
March 3, 2014
Colon Named CCC Rookie of the Week
February 27, 2014
Men's Basketball Falls to Gordon in CCC Semifinals
February 25, 2014
Mayo, Colon Named All-Commonwealth Coast Conference
February 25, 2014
Men's Basketball Pulls off Upset at Eastern Nazarene
February 22, 2014
Men's Basketball Edged in Regular-Season Finale
February 22, 2014
CCC Men's Basketball Tournament Pairings Set
February 19, 2014
Strong Second Half Powers Endicott Past Men's Basketball
February 15, 2014
Men's Basketball Edged at Roger Williams
February 12, 2014
Donato's Buzzer Beater Lifts Men's Basketball Past Western New England
February 8, 2014
Men's Basketball Suffers Setback at Eastern Nazarene
February 4, 2014
Men's Basketball Cruises to 10th Win of the Season
February 1, 2014
Second Half Run Pushes Gordon Past Men's Basketball
January 29, 2014
Men's Basketball Sees Three-Game Skid Come to and End
January 23, 2014
Endicott Works Overtime to Defeat Men's Basketball
January 20, 2014
Colon Repeats as Rookie of the Week
January 18, 2014
Men's Basketball Falls at Nichols
January 15, 2014
Men's Basketball Holds on For Win
January 13, 2014
Colon Earns CCC Rookie of the Week Honors
January 11, 2014
Men's Basketball Rallies Past Roger Williams
January 9, 2014
Men's Basketball Win Streak Halted by Eastern Nazarene
January 7, 2014
Long-Range Shooting Helps Men's Basketball Win Third Straight
January 4, 2014
Strong Defensive Effort Lifts Men's Basketball to Win at Gordon
December 31, 2013
Men's Basketball Rolls to Win Over Maine-Fort Kent
December 30, 2013
Vassar Fends Off Men's Basketball
December 9, 2013
Colon Earns CCC Rookie Rookie of the Week Honors
December 7, 2013
Balanced Attack Paces Men's Basketball to Win over Curry
December 4, 2013
Men's Basketball Falls in Conference Opener
November 26, 2013
Men's Basketball Pulls Away in Second Half
November 25, 2013
Turner Named CCC Men's Basketball Rookie of the Week
November 23, 2013
Tufts Rallies in Second Half to Defeat Men's Basketball
November 21, 2013
Clark Overtakes Men's Basketball in Second Half
November 16, 2013
Late Run Pushes Framingham State Past Men's Basketball
November 15, 2013
Men's Basketball Opens Season With a Win
November 15, 2013
Men's Basketball Picked to Finish Seventh in CCC Pre-Season Poll
October 19, 2013
Five Inducted Into Athletic Hall of Fame
July 23, 2013
Arlen Galloway Named Head Men's Basketball Coach