QUINCY, Mass. – Four players scored in double figures including senior Anthony Petrilli (Santa Clarita, Calif.) who had 23 points as the Eastern Nazarene College men's basketball team took an 80-75 victory over Wentworth Institute of Technology in a Commonwealth Coast Conference contest played at the Lahue Center.
The Lions snap a two-game losing streak and improve to 4-4 overall and 1-2 in league play while the Leopards fall to 2-4 (1-2).
While both teams' offenses struggled in the early going, Wentworth took a 5-0 lead as junior Ben Kizel (Short Hills, N.J.) had a pair of baskets sandwiched around a freshman Matt Vartanian (Salem, N.H.) free throw. The Leopards extended their lead to 10-4 on a Kizel three pointer with 12:59 left and took a 16-9 lead on a pair of Vartanian free throws with 10:16 left.
Eastern Nazarene used a 7-2 run and pulled within a pair after a Petrilli three pointer with 8:25 to play. The Lions came within a pair on two other occasions including on a senior Corey Doran (Fairfield, Calif.) layup with 5:48 left in the half.
A Vartanian jumper with 2:47 left pushed the lead to five, however four straight Eastern Nazarene points made it a one-point contest just over two minutes remaining. Senior Christian Lynch (Alpharetta, Ga.) made a layup with 58 seconds left to make it a 32-31 game, however senior Jason Ganley (Northbridge, Mass.) hit one of two free throws with 42 seconds left and freshman Ellis Christmas (Elmsford, N.Y.) made a jumper with four ticks left to make it a 35-31 Wentworth advantage at the break.
Wentworth scored eight of the first 13 points of the second half with six coming on senior Dan DeVaux (Wethersfield, Conn.) three pointers. A DeVaux jumper with 14:22 left upped the lead to 47-38, however Lynch scored the hosts' next four points – sandwiched around a free throw from Christmas – to make it 48-42 with 13:04 remaining.
A 6-2 Leopard spurt, buoyed by four points from DeVaux, gave Wentworth a 54-44 lead with 12:02 remaining. Eastern Nazarene responded with a 12-0 run to take a 56-54 lead with 9:13 left after a basket from Lynch. Out of a time out Vartanian hit a jumper to tie the game and gave the Black & Gold a one-point lead with a free throw a little over a minute later. The teams would battle back and forth with junior Sam Knollmeyer (Hampton, N.H.) tying the game at 69-69 on a three pointer with three minutes left.
Lynch gave the Lions a two-point lead, however freshman Stephen Azums (Hyde Park, Mass.) hit two free throws to tie the game at 71-all. Petrilli gave Eastern Nazarene the lead for good when he scored this team's next six points, making it a 77-72 game with 29 seconds left.
Azums hit two free throws and DeVaux would bury one of two to pull Wentworth within a pair with 12 seconds left. Two freshman Josh Rice (Hanson, Mass.) free throws made it 79-75 which sealed the win for the Lions.
Doran added 19 points and nine rebounds for the victors, who also received 15 points from Lynch and 14 points from Rice.
Ganley, DeVaux, and Azums each scored 16 points for Wentworth. Azums also grabbed eight rebounds. Vartanian rounded out a quartet of Leopards in double figures, scoring 12 points to go along with six rebounds and three assists.
Wentworth hosts fifth-ranked Tufts on Saturday.
July 24, 2017
Knollmeyer, Kizel Earn Spots on NABC Honors Court
February 21, 2017
Men's Basketball Holds Off Gordon to Advance to CCC Semifinals
February 18, 2017
Azums' Last Second Free Throw Lifts Men's Basketball Past Roger Williams
February 18, 2017
CCC Men's Basketball Tournament Pairings Announced
February 15, 2017
Men's Basketball Cruises to Win Over Curry
February 11, 2017
Gordon Holds off Men's Basketball's Late Charge
February 8, 2017
Big Second Half Run Helps Men's Basketball Cruise Past Salve Regina
January 31, 2017
DeVaux, Azums Help Men's Basketball Snap Losing Streak
January 28, 2017
Endicott Uses Second Half Rally to Defeat Men's Basketball
January 25, 2017
University of New England Stops Men's Basketball's Win Streak
January 23, 2017
Vartanian Named CCC Rookie of the Week
January 21, 2017
Men's Basketball Tames Bison
January 17, 2017
Men's Basketball Fends off Gordon for Third Straight Win
January 14, 2017
Hot Shooting Lifts Men's Basketball to Second Straight Win
January 11, 2017
Men's Basketball Powers Past Curry
January 3, 2017
Second Half Run Lifts Endicott to Win Over Men's Basketball
December 30, 2016
Men's Basketball Rallies, Holds off Drew
December 29, 2016
DePauw Pulls Away From Men's Basketball With Late Run
December 12, 2016
Men's Basketball Drops Semester-Ending Contest at Mount Ida
December 10, 2016
Men's Basketball Battles With Nationally Ranked Foe
December 6, 2016
Men's Basketball Fended off by Eastern Nazarene
December 3, 2016
Nichols Rallies Past Men's Basketball in Second Half
November 30, 2016
Late Free Throws Lift Men's Basketball to Win Over UNE in CCC Opener
November 22, 2016
Men's Basketball's Comeback Comes up Short at Lesley
November 16, 2016
Fast Start Lifts Men's Basketball to Win Over Emmanuel
November 15, 2016
Men's Basketball Falls in Season Opener
November 10, 2016
Men's Basketball Picked to Finish Fifth in CCC Poll