Men’s Basketball Stumbles in Second Half at Wentworth, 78-61

Men’s Basketball Stumbles in Second Half at Wentworth, 78-61

BOSTON – After a first half that featured 10 lead exchanges and four tied scores, a Rams scoring lull in the second allowed Wentworth to roar past Suffolk men's basketball 78-61 in CCCC action Saturday afternoon at Tansey Gymnasium.  

THE BASICS
SCORE: Suffolk 61 | Wentworth 78
RECORDS: Suffolk (11-9, 7-6 CCC) | Wentworth (11-10, 6-6 CCC)  

HOW IT HAPPENED
The lead changed 10 times and the scored locked four in the first 20 minutes.  

Evan Cook swished a trey from the top of the key with just over four minutes left on the clock before half time to push Suffolk in front, 31-28. It was all Wentworth from the rest of the opening frame as the Leopards went on. A7 -0 run to close it out and send the Rams into the locker room down four, 35-31.

A sluggish offensive output by Suffolk to start the second half put the Rams in a 17-point, 59-42, hole at the 8:21 mark. 

The Rams rallied back with a 12-2 spurt to cut the gap down to seven, 61-54, with 5:29 left on the clock. That scoring frenzy featured nine points from Keenan Robertson and a knock down trifecta by Nick Verdile.  

Out of a blue-and-gold full time, the Leopards restored their double-digit distance thanks to a 3-ball from Jack Connell. This time a Rams comeback did not come and Wentworth went on to take the 78-61 league decision. 

STATISTICALLY SPEAKING

  • Roberston registered a 27-point performance on a 13-for-19 showing from the floor with three rebounds to his credit. The junior was the only Ram in double figures in scoring. 
  • Danny Yardemian supplied nine points, eight caroms, three helpers and one takeaway. 
  • Cook chipped in nine points, three takeaways, two dimes and two boards in 14 minutes, all in the first half. He went 3-for-3 from the floor, which included a 2-for-2 showing from downtown. 
  • Verdile chipped in nine points off the bench to go along with three assists and two rebounds. 
  • Suffolk shot just 36.45 percent (23-63) from the floor, 22.2 percent (8-36) from 3-point land and 70.0 percent (7-10) from the charity stripe. 
  • Wentworth shot 46.4 percent on the afternoon (26-56) and 52.9 percent (9-17) from behind-the-arc. 
  • WIT had three players in double figures with Tyler Stewart pouring in a game-high 36 points to lead the way. 
  • The Leopards outrebounded the Rams, 40-34. 
  • Suffolk converted eight points in transition. 

NOTEWORTHY

  • Declan Davis dished out the first assist of his collegiate career.  
  • The Rams moved to 2-5 versus Wentworth under Jeff Juron's guidance. 

WHAT'S NEXT?
Suffolk caps off its non-conference calendar Tuesday, Feb. 6 when Hartford stops by Larry E. and Michael S. Smith Court for a 7:30 p.m. tip-off.