WESTFIELD, Mass. (November 14, 2015) - The Western New England University men's basketball team fell to Eastern Connecticut State University, 80-51, earlier today in the Rick Martin - Holiday Inn Tipoff Tournament consolation game at the Woodward Center on the campus of Westfield State University.

Eastern Connecticut, which is ranked No. 14 in the D3hoops.com Preseason Top-25 Poll, held Western New England to a 27.7% (13-of-47) shooting clip, including 22.2% (4-of-18) from three-point range and 25% (7-of-28) in the second half. The Golden Bears shot well from the free throw line for the second straight day, however, knocking down 21-of-25 (84%) attempts from the charity stripe.

Junior guard Mike Gelineau (Waltham, Mass.) led the Western New England offense with 11 points, going 2-for-4 from beyond the arc and 5-for-6 from the free throw line. Classmate Keegan Dudeck (Longmeadow, Mass.) chipped in with seven points off the bench, while senior center Zack Askew (Middletown, Conn.) finished with five points, five rebounds, two blocks and a steal.  

Senior guard Trachone Preston (Enfield, Conn.) powered Eastern Connecticut with a game-high 17 points to go with five rebounds, four assists and two steals. Classmate Kevin Leumene (Stamford, Conn.) turned in a double-double performance with 11 points and ten rebounds, while senior guard Michael-Thomas Sciro (Westerly, R.I.) added 14 points and
Eastern Connecticut posted a .475 shooting percentage this afternoon, knocking down

Western New England led for the majority of the first half, opening up a 9-2 advantage early after two free throws by Gelineau at the 16:48 mark. The Warriors eventually tied the score at 18 on a three-pointer by Preston midway through the half, but the Golden Bears pulled back ahead and maintained a slim lead until a layup by sophomore Collin Jordan (Cheshire, Conn.) with 4:23 on the clock sparked a 9-0 Eastern Connecticut run over the next two minutes.

Askew answered with a layup to cut Western New England's deficit to six (31-25), before the Warriors ended the half on a 7-0 run to take a 38-25 lead into the locker room.

Eastern Connecticut continued to add to its advantage early in the second half, scoring the first seven points to open up its largest lead at 45-25. Dudeck ended the Western New England drought with a three-pointer at the 14:04 mark, but the Golden Bears were unable to get any closer the rest of the way as Eastern Connecticut pulled away late.
 
Western New England (0-2, 0-0 CCC) returns to action on Tuesday night with a non-conference contest at Elms College, while Eastern Connecticut (1-1, 0-0 LEC) is set to take on Johnson & Wales next Saturday.