BOSTON, Mass. – Sophomore Kyle Henseler (Coventry, R.I.) matched a career high with 22 points to lead four players in double figures as the Wentworth Institute of Technology men's basketball team defeated Curry, 80-62, in Commonwealth Coast Conference action Saturday afternoon.
Winners of two straight the Leopards improve to 8-15 overall and 5-9 in league play while the Colonels fall to 1-22 (0-14).
Curry raced out to an 11-5 lead, with all 11 points coming from junior Jared Thorpe-Johnson (Dorchester, Mass.). A putback from junior Stephen Azums (Hyde Park, Mass.) and a three from sophomore Gavin Keough (Dunstable, Mass.) cut the lead to one, however, Thorpe-Johnson hit a three and junior Dwayne Boothe (Jamaica, N.Y.) put down a dunk to push the lead back to six (16-10) with 15:36 remaining in the half.
A par of three-point plays from junior Matt Vartanian (Salem, N.H.) and a layup from Henseler surrounded a basket from Thorpe-Johnson and evened the score at 20-all. Vartanian converted a layup to give Wentworth a 22-20 lead, however, senior Alex Stein (Mount Olive, N.J.) hit a three to give the Colonels a 23-22 lead with 10:42 to play. Wentworth answered with a 14-3 run and took a 36-26 lead with 4:22 remaining after Keough hit a three. The Black & Gold led by as many as a dozen late in the first half and had a 42-32 lead at the break.
Azums and Keough opened the second half with layups to push the lead to 14 before Curry answered with a basket from Boothe and a jumper from sophomore RJ Hadfield (Warwick, R.I.) to pull the lead back to 10. Using an 8-0 run, Wentworth took a 55-37 lead after Azums converted a three-point play and saw its lead swell to as many as 24 with just under eight minutes remaining. The Colonels were able to knock the lead down to 16 with 5:19 remaining, however, a 9-2 run extended the hosts' lead.
Henseler was 8-for-11 from the floor and also had four rebounds and three assists. Keough finished with 19 points and five rebounds, Azums recorded another double-double, scoring 16 points and grabbing 14 rebounds, while Vartanian had 10 points, seven rebounds, and five assists. The Leopards won the battle of the boards, 50-33, and held Curry to 35.5 percent shooting in the second half. Prior to the game, senior Zach Bergeon (Litchfield, N.H.) was recognized during senior day festivities. He finished with six points and six rebounds.
Thorpe-Johnson led all scorers with 26 points to go along with six rebounds and three assists. He recorded his 1,000th career point when he hit a three pointer with 7:02 remaining in the first half. Junior Kieran Carroll (Greenwich, Conn.) also scored in double figures for Curry, tallying 11 points.
Wentworth hosts the University of New England on Wednesday night. That same night, Curry hosts Roger Williams.
For the latest on Wentworth Athletics, follow the Leopards via social media on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Fans can also download the Wentworth Leopards "Front Row" mobile app, powered by PrestoSports, on iTunes and the Android Market.
