BOSTON, Mass. – Senior Nico Donato (Glastonbury, Conn.) shot 8-for-10 on the floor, including a pair of 3-pointers to finish with a career-high 20 points, as the Wentworth Institute of Technology men's basketball team snapped a five-game losing streak with an 81-50 win over Curry in Commonwealth Coast Conference action Saturday afternoon at Tansey Gymnasium.
With the win the Leopards improve to 7-10 overall and 5-5 in conference play while the Colonels saw their two-game winning streak come to an end and sit at 4-13 (2-8).
The first 10 minutes of the opening half were relatively close, with Wentworth leading Curry by single digits. A jump shot by senior Antonio Jones (Dorchester, Mass.) cut the lead to one with the Leopards on top 18–17 with nine minutes left. The Black and Gold strung together 10 straight points, capped off with a 3-pointer and a three-point play from senior Ray Bessette (Scarborough, Maine). The Leopards maintained a double-digit lead, going up by as much as 14 points, and went into halftime leading 39-28. Donato shot a perfect 4-for-4 on the floor, including a 3-pointer, to finish the first half with nine points.
Wentworth kept the offense rolling, as back to back trifectas from junior Ian Terriault (Auburn, Maine) and Donato put the Leopards up 47-32. Donato continued his scoring into the second, going 4-for-6 (2-2 behind the arc and 2-2 at the line) to finish the half with 11 points.
Senior John-Michael Fragnoli (Schenectady, N.Y.) had a double-double with 18 points and 10 boards. Freshman Sam Knollmeyer (Hampton, N.H.) scored 10 in the win while Bessette scored eight points, grabbed seven rebounds, and dished out five assists. Therriault grabbed eight rebounds and dished out five assists as well. Wentworth held a 48-31 rebounding edge and held Curry to 26.7 percent shooting in the second half.
Jones had a team-high 17 points with senior Matt Russell (South Portland, Maine) also scoring in double figures as he finished the game with 10 points.
Both teams continue CCC play on Wednesday evening. Wentworth is at Gordon while Curry hosts Eastern Nazarene.
