BOSTON, Mass. – Junior Ian Therriault (Auburn, Maine) scored 12 of his career-high 17 points in the first half to help the Wentworth Institute of Technology men's basketball team capture its third straight win with a 60-49 triumph over Salve Regina in Commonwealth Coast Conference action.
With the win the Leopards improve to 9-10 overall and 7-5 in conference play while the Seahawks dropped their second straight to stand at 5-14 (2-10).
The Leopards held a slim lead during the early part of the first half and led, 7-4, after a senior Ray Bessette (Dedham, Maine) layup with 16:22 left. However, Salve Regina scored the next four points and took an 8-7 lead after a freshman Bryce Boggs (Hyde Park, Mass.) layup less than two minutes later.
Wentworth reclaimed the lead on a 3-pointer from Therriault – who connected on his first four from behind the arc – and would eventually take a 17-10 lead after a layup from senior John-Michael Fragnoli (Schenectady, N.Y.) with 7:40 left.
The Leopards equaled their largest lead of the half (eight) on a basket by Fragnoli with 1:36 left and led by six (22-16) at the break. Both teams would shoot less than 30 percent from the floor with the Seahawks connecting on 29.6 percent of their shots and the Leopards 29 percent.
Senior Nico Donato (Glastonbury, Conn.) and Fragnoli combined to give the hosts a 10-point lead early in the second half before seven straight points – capped off by a layup from junior Barrett Hanlon (Hopkinton, Mass.) – trimmed the lead to three with 15:42 left. Fragnoli responded with a jumper and freshman Cesar Fulcar Watertown, Mass.) drained a three to push the lead to eight.
Leading by 11 after a junior Kyle Romich (Groton, Mass.) tip-in with 11:55 left in the contest, Wentworth saw Salve Regina cut the lead to six after a fast break layup from senior Eric McKinnon (South Easton, Mass.) and a Boggs trifecta. However, that would be as close as the Seahawks would come as the Leopards would build their lead to as many as a dozen late.
Therriault was 5-for-8 from the floor, including going 4-for-6 from behind the arc. Fragnoli recorded his third straight double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds while Fulcar finished with 11 points and five rebounds and Bessette scored six points and had three assists. Donato dished out a game-high six assists in the win.
Boggs finished with a team-high 12 points while Hanlon had 10 points, seven rebounds, and three assists. Sophomore Nicholas Bates (Danvers, Mass.) had a team-high nine rebounds for Salve Regina.
Both teams continue conference play on Tuesday as Wentworth is at the University of New England and Salve Regina is at Endicott.
