SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (December 8, 2015) - Led by career performances from senior guard Luis Agrait (South Hadley, Mass.) and junior guard Daniel Silva (Seekonk, Mass.), the Western New England University men's basketball team erased a 15-point second half deficit to force overtime before coming away with an 87-79 victory over Roger Williams University this evening in Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) action at the Alumni Healthful Living Center.
 
Agrait scored 12 of his career-high 25 points in the five minute overtime session and also posted seven rebounds and five assists as the Golden Bears improved to 2-5 (1-2 CCC). The senior shot 6-of-8 from the field, knocking down his only three-point attempt and converting 12-of-15 from the charity stripe.  
 
Silva also set a career-high with 16 points on 5-of-13 shooting to go with four rebounds and three assists, and senior center Zack Askew (Middletown, Conn.) added 13 points. Freshman guard Tyler Johnson (Vernon, Conn.) turned in the strongest performance of his young career, securing a game-high 12 rebounds while also scoring eight points and dishing out three assists in 31 minutes off the bench.
 
Roger Williams, which led by six (40-34) at halftime, opened the second half on a 6-0 run and eventually extended its advantage to a game-high 15 points (54-39) following a layup by sophomore Conor O'Brien (Sharon, Mass.) at the 14:14 mark. Western New England wasn't able to cut its deficit under ten until Johnson knocked down a jumper with 8:26 remaining in regulation, and Askew converted a layup 1:18 later to bring the Golden Bears to within six (60-54).
 
On the ensuing Roger Williams possession, Western New England junior guard Mike Gelineau (Waltham, Mass.) stole the ball from O'Brien and threw down a dunk on the other end, cutting the Golden Bears' deficit to four.
 
Agrait, Silva and Askew combined to score Western New England's next 13 points, but the Hawks maintained their slim lead until Agrait hit the game-tying three-pointer with two minutes left on a shot that bounced off the front rim and hit the backboard before falling through the net. After sophomore guard Nick Marini (Loudonville, N.Y.) gave the Hawks the lead back with a layup on Roger Williams' next possession, Johnson grabbed an offensive rebound on a missed shot by Gelineau, and knocked down two free throws to knot the score at 71. The freshman then drew a key charge in the final minute, but Western New England was unable to secure a game-winning basket as Roger Williams senior center Trevor Fahmy (Bedford, N.H.) recorded a pair of crucial blocks during the Golden Bears' final possession of regulation.
 
Agrait took control of the contest in overtime, scoring Western New England's first six points on a layup and two difficult jumpers to stake the Golden Bears to a 77-74 lead three minutes into the extra session. Askew gave the Golden Bears a 79-74 advantage with a pair of clutch free throws with 55 seconds remaining, and Agrait knocked down 6-of-8 from the charity stripe down the stretch to seal the win.

Roger Williams shot 57.1% (28-of-49) from the field through 40 minutes of regulation, but the Golden Bears held the Hawks to a 22% (2-of-9) clip in overtime. Western New England scored 30 points off 22 Roger Williams turnovers, and made 27-of-33 (81.8%) attempts from the free throw line.
 
Marini led four Hawks in double-figures with 16 points on 5-of-8 shooting to go with five rebounds and five assists. Junior guard Andrew Wasik (Gainesville, Fla.) and sophomore forward Alex Puzone (North Haven, Conn.) finished with 15 points each, while sophomore Jaylen Jennings (Norwalk, Conn.) added 13 off the bench.
 
Western New England wraps up its first semester schedule on Saturday afternoon, as Clark University is set to visit the AHLC for a non-conference contest at 1 p.m. Roger Williams (4-4, 2-1 CCC) returns to action on December 29 against Worcester State University.