BOSTON, Mass. – Sophomore Kevin Fernandez (Lawrence, Mass.) led a quartet of Wentworth Institute of Technology men's basketball players scoring in double figures as he tallied a game-high 16 points to help pace the Leopards (13-8, 6-6 Commonwealth Coast Conference) to a 75-61 win over Curry (5-15, 1-10) Wednesday night.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
LEADING SCORERS: Kevin Fernandez, 16; Stephen Azums, 15; Trey Carrier, 14; Noah Bice, 12
LEADING REBOUNDER: Trey Carrier, 9; Stephen Azums, 7
ASSIST LEADERS: Kyle Henseler, 5
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- Curry took its only lead of the game when senior Daymeann Stewart (Milwaukee, Wisc.) hit a three 27 seconds into the contest. The lead was short-lived, however, as Wentworth used a 19-5 run to take an 11-point (19-8) lead after freshman Conor Rubenskas (Bridgewater, Mass.) hit a three with 10:53 remaining in the half.
- The Colonels whittled the lead down to five on three occasions, including when senior Jared Thorpe-Johnson (Dorchester, Mass.) made a layup with 5:39 left. A layup from junior Kyle Henseler (Coventry, R.I.) and a three from Fernandez pushed the lead back to 10 before Curry was able to pull within four (33-29) at the break.
- Wentworth opened the second half with a layup from junior Trey Carrier (Wilton, N.H.) to push the lead to six before the teams traded baskets leaving the hosts ahead, 39-34, with 17:09 left. Carrier drained a three and Henseler followed with a layup to bring the Leopard lead back to 10 with 16:22 left in the contest.
- Curry used an 11-2 run to pull within two (47-45) after Stewart hit one of two free throws with just under 11 minutes remaining. However, a 17-2 Wentworth run gave the hosts a 64-47 lead after a jumper from senior Stephen Azums (Hyde Park, Mass.). During the run, Azums had nine points while sophomore Noah Bice (Woodacre, Calif.) had a pair of three pointers. The Leopards extended their lead to as many as 18 with just under three minutes left in the contest.
- Azums scored 11 of his 15 points in the second half, a half that saw him go 5-for-6 from the floor, while also grabbing seven rebounds, dishing out three assists, and blocking a pair of shots. Carrier finished with 14 points, nine rebounds, and three assists, while Bice added 12 points, 10 of which came in the second half.
- Wentworth had a 39-30 rebounding advantage, with 15 of those rebounds coming on the offensive glass and converted into 18 points.
- Three players scored in double figures for the Colonels with freshman Michael Ashley (Atlanta, Ga.) scoring 13 points.
NOTEWORTHY:
- Wentworth improves to 8-1 in games played at Tansey Gymnasium this season.
SERIES NOTES:
- Tonight marked the 62nd all-time meeting between the two programs with Wentworth holding a 38-24 series advantage. The Leopards have won 12 straight and 13 of the last 14 meetings, including taking a 66-49 decision on January 7 to sweep the season series.
NEXT UP:
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