Azums Powers Men's Basketball to Semester-Ending Win over Roger Williams

BOSTON, Mass. – Senior Stephen Azums (Hyde Park, Mass.) scored 17 of his team-high 21 points and grabbed seven of his game-high 15 rebounds in the second half to record his NCAA Division III-leading ninth double-double as the Wentworth Institute of Technology men's basketball team (7-3, 2-1 Commonwealth Coast Conference) closed out first semester play with a 75-67 win over Roger Williams (6-3, 1-2) in CCC action Saturday afternoon.

THE BASICS:

LEADING SCORERS:  Stephen Azums, 21; Trey Carrier, 16
LEADING REBOUNDER:  Stephen Azums, 15
ASSIST LEADER:  Stephen Azums, 4

HOW IT HAPPENED:

• Wentworth opened the game on a 12-3 run after Azums made a layup. Roger Williams quickly scored to cut the lead to seven, however, junior Trey Carrier (Wilton, N.H.) countered with a layup of his own to finish a flurry of six points in 39 seconds and put the Leopards back on top by nine.
• The Hawks used a 9-2 run over the next 4:16 to trim the lead to just a pair after senior Rich Pugliese (Middlebury, Conn.) hit one of two free throws. Wentworth responded with a three pointer from freshman Tommy Dooling (Mansfield, Mass.) to push the lead to five and held a three-point advantage after a sophomore Kevin Fernandez (Lawrence, Mass.) trifecta with 3:11 left in the half.
• Roger Williams went on a 9-2 run, taking a 30-26 lead with 1:03 remaining after a three pointer from freshman EJ Nelson (Essex Junction, Vt.), and, after junior Mayo Aina (Providence, R.I.) hit two free throws with 33 seconds left, the Hawks led by two (30-28) at the break.
• Baskets from Harris and Pugliese extended the Hawks' lead to six (34-28) less than a minute into the second half before a 14-4 Wentworth run – capped off by a three-point play from Azums – put the Black & Gold ahead, 42-38, with 14:03 remaining. Wentworth held a six-point lead (46-40) with 11:49 left after a Carrier jumper but Roger Williams responded with an 8-0 run and took a 48-46 lead after a Harris three pointer with 10:26 left.
• Wentworth reclaimed the lead when sophomore Noah Bice (Woodacre, Calif.) created a turnover and fed Dooling in transition for a three pointer and Azums tacked on a pair of free throws 40 seconds later to extend the lead to three with just under nine minutes remaining. One of two free throws from senior Ian Carmichael (Atkinson, N.H.) and a three pointer from junior JJ Pfohl (Trumbull, Conn.) put the Hawks ahead, 52-51, with 7:46 left, however, Fernandez hit two free throws to give the Leopards the lead back.
• The teams traded leads with Pugliese hitting two free throws to put Roger Williams ahead, 54-53 before Bice drained a three to give Wentworth a two-point advantage. With just under six minutes left, Harris tied the game layup, however, Azums put home a second-chance basket down the other end which gave Wentworth a 58-56 lead and started an 8-2 run for the Leopards, capped off by a Carrier layup with 2:38 left.
• Roger Williams cut the lead to five on a Pugliese three with 1:27 left but Azums gave the Black & Gold some breathing room, hitting four free throws in a span of 12 seconds to push the lead to nine. Harris converted a three-point play with 33 seconds left to try and bring the Hawks back in it but a free throw from junior Kyle Henseler (Coventry, R.I.) and one from Fernandez pushed the lead to eight and a Hawk turnover on their next possession sealed the Leopard win.
• In addition to his 21 points and 15 rebounds, Azums also dished out four assists. Carrier finished with 16 points (on 8-for-13 shooting) and six rebounds while Fernandez added 10 points.
• Harris led all scorers with 23 points to go along with seven rebounds while Pugliese added 14 points and four assists for Roger Williams.
• Wentworth had an impressive, 45-30 rebounding edge and turned 11 offensive rebounds into 21 second-chance points.
• Azums now has nine double-doubles in the Leopards' first 10 games and, in games played through December 6, is also second in Division III in total rebounds and sixth in rebounds per game. He is projected to move up in both categories when the next NCAA statistics report is released on Monday, December 9.

SERIES NOTES:

• Today marked the 66th all-time meeting between the two programs. The teams have split the last four meetings and Roger Williams holds a 37-29 series edge.

NEXT UP:

• Wentworth is idle until December 31 when the Leopards travel to Norwich for a 2:00 p.m. tip against the Cadets.

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