BOSTON, Mass. – The sophomore duo of Jack Connell (Walpole, Mass.) and Tyler Stewart (East Taunton, Mass.) combined for 37 points as the Wentworth Institute of Technology men's basketball team opened Commonwealth Coast Conference play with a 64-40 win over Curry.

RECORDS:

Wentworth (2-2, 1-0 CCC)
Curry (1-5, 0-1 CCC)

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE:

LEADING SCORERS:  Jack Connell, 20, Tyler Stewart, 17
LEADING REBOUNDERS:  Stewart, 8; Jack Schaake, 7; Niko Rosich, 7; Thomas Hacker, 7
ASSIST LEADERS:  Connell, 6; Stewart 4; Rosich 3

HOW IT HAPPENED:

• Stewart and Connell opened the game scoring Wentworth's first five points and gave the Leopards a 5-2 lead after Connell buried a three 2:18 into the contest. The Leopards led by eight on a pair of occasions, including when Stewart made a basket with 8:13 left and took their third, eight-point advantage after a Connell basket with 3:21 remaining.
• Curry sliced the lead to five on two occasions, the latest coming when freshman Tommy Mallinson (Wilmington, Mass.) made a layup with just under two minutes left. However, sophomore Niko Rosich (Chicago, Ill.) fit a pair of free throws and Connell made a layup, giving the hosts a 24-15 advantage after the first 20 minutes. The Black & Gold held the Colonels to just 21.4 percent shooting in the first half.
• Wentworth took its first double-digit lead of the game when senior Sam Swift (Arlington, Mass.) knocked down a three with 18:33 left, and, after senior Angelo Sardegna (Tampa, Fla.) made a pair of free throws, senior Jack Schaake (Hampton, N.H.) started an 8-2 run, which was capped off by a Stewart layup and gave the Leopards a 37-22 lead with 14:25 left.
• The Colonels cut the lead to 10 on a Sardegna jumper, however, the Black & Gold responded with a 20-2 run, taking a 60-32 lead on a Rosich three pointer with 4:44 left. Wentworth shot 57.1 percent in the second half.
• Connell led all scorers with 20 points to go along with six assists. Stewart went 7-for-10 from the floor, scoring 17 points, grabbing eight rebounds, and dishing out four assists. Rosich had eight points and seven rebounds. The Leopards finished the game with a 49-28 rebounding advantage.

SERIES NOTES:

• Tonight marked the 65th all-time meeting between the two teams. Winners of the last 15 in the series, the Leopards hold a 41-24 all-time advantage.

NEXT UP:

• Wentworth hosts Salve Regina on Saturday (Dec. 3) at 3:00 p.m.

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