SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (January 14, 2016) - Junior Daniel Silva (Seekonk, Mass.) banked in the game-tying three-pointer as time expired in regulation, and freshman Mikey Pettway (Bridgeport, Conn.) scored four of his team-high 24 points in overtime as Western New England University rallied to earn a thrilling 89-83 victory over Salve Regina University this evening in Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) men's basketball action at the Alumni Healthful Living Center.
 
Western New England, which trailed by two (76-74) after Salve Regina senior guard David Hanson's (Stockland, England) layup with eight seconds left in regulation, gave the ball right back to the Seahawks on a turnover immediately following the inbounds pass. Junior Connor Costello (Southboro, Mass.) was fouled and made 1-of-2 at the free throw line, however, giving the Golden Bears one final chance to tie the contest on their final possession. Pettway brought the ball up the floor and found Silva well beyond the three-point line, and the junior launched an attempt with two defenders in his face off the glass and into the hoop as the buzzer sounded.
 
The lead changed hands several times early in the extra session, with Western New England pulling ahead by one (82-81) on a triple by senior guard Luis Agrait (South Hadley, Mass.), but the Seahawks took the lead right back on their next possession.
 
Pettway got to the line and knocked down both free throws with 57 seconds remaining, giving the Golden Bears a lead (84-83) they would not relinquish, as a Salve Regina turnover resulted in a Mike Gelineau (Waltham, Mass.) layup with 24 seconds on the clock. Silva, who was responsible for sending the contest to overtime, made it a four-point game (87-83) after knocking down 1-of-2 from the charity stripe with 15 seconds to go, and Agrait added two late free throws to seal the comeback win.
 
Pettway shot 6-of-13 from the floor and was aided by a 12-for-13 effort at the free throw line en route to his third straight 20-point performance and fourth in the last five games. The two-time defending CCC Rookie of the Week also contributed a season-high ten assists to go with two steals and a rebound as the Golden Bears improved to 5-8 (3-4 CCC).
 
Gelineau finished with 19 points and six boards, while Silva added 15 points and a career-high nine rebounds, and Agrait rounded out Western New England's four double-figure scorers with 14 points and four boards. Making just his second career start, senior center Nathaniel Martin (Orange, Mass.) chipped in with six points, seven rebounds and two assists in 22 minutes of action.
 
Salve Regina junior forward Nicholas Bates (Danvers, Mass.) matched Pettway's effort with 24 points on 10-of-17 shooting from the field and 4-of-7 from the free throw line, to go with a game-high 14 rebounds and two assists. Costello turned in a 7-of-10 shooting performance en route to 17 points, while sophomore Bryce Boggs (Hyde Park, Mass.) added 13 points and seven rebounds for the Seahawks.
 
Western New England held the slight shooting edge, posting a 49.1 percent (27-of-55) clip to Salve Regina's 46.6 percent (34-of-73) showing, and the Golden Bears also benefitted from their strong performance at the free throw line, knocking down 26-of-31 (84%) attempts. The Seahawks outscored Western New England 56-28 in the paint and scored 26 points off 17 Golden Bear turnovers.
 
Salve Regina jumped out to a 6-0 lead early in the first half, but the Golden Bears battled back to take their first lead (17-15) on a three-pointer by senior Don Stephens (West Palm Beach, Fla.) at the 11:25 mark. Pettway, who had a team-high 14 points over the first 20 minutes of action, gave Western New England a three-point lead (29-26) with just under six minutes left in the half, but the visitors countered with a 19-6 run over the next five minutes to open up a ten-point advantage (45-35) with 1:06 on the clock. Gelineau scored five straight points for the Golden Bears, however, and Pettway added a layup in the closing seconds as Western New England cut its deficit to five (47-42) at the break.
 
Led by Silva and Gelineau, the Golden Bears regained the lead (49-47) with a 7-0 run to open the second half, before Salve Regina answered with six straight points. The Seahawks eventually extended their advantage to eight (62-54) following a three-pointer by sophomore Rodney Morton (Malden, Mass.) with 12:05 left in the half, and they would not trail until Pettway went 2-for-2 at the free throw line with 2:36 on the clock. The back and forth contest saw three ties over the final 2:10 of regulation, including the 77-77 deadlock following Silva's last-second trey.
 
Both teams will be back in action on Saturday, as Western New England heads to Quincy for a matchup at Eastern Nazarene, and Salve Regina (5-9, 2-5 CCC) returns home looking to rebound against Wentworth.