SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (January 5, 2016) - The Wentworth Institute of Technology held off Western New England University's second half comeback bid to secure a 75-66 win this evening in Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) men's basketball action at the Alumni Healthful Living Center.
 
The Golden Bears, who trailed 33-21 at halftime after shooting 31.8 percent (7-of-22) from the field, saw their deficit reach 16 points early in the second half. Western New England eventually found its rhythm offensively, trimming its deficit to five on three separate occasions late in the contest, but Wentworth made several big shots down the stretch to clinch the win.
 
Junior guard Mike Gelineau (Waltham, Mass.) led four Golden Bears in double-figures with a game-high 19 points, 17 of which came in the second half. Classmate Daniel Silva (Seekonk, Mass.) also played a key role in Western New England's comeback, scoring all 12 of his points over the final 20 minutes of action, while freshman guard Mikey Pettway (Bridgeport, Conn.) finished with 13 points and seven assists and senior center Zack Askew (Middletown, Conn.) added ten points and four boards.
 
Sophomore guard Cesar Fulcar (Watertown, Mass.) paced a balanced Wentworth offense with 14 points and four assists, while classmate Jason Ganley (Northbridge, Mass.) totaled 12 points and senior forward Ian Therriault (Auburn, Maine) finished with ten points and a game-high seven rebounds.
 
Pettway and Askew carried the Western New England offense early, combining to score the team's first 11 points, and senior Don Stephens (West Palm Beach, Fla.) connected from long range at the 12:45 mark to give the Golden Bears a 14-8 lead. Wentworth controlled the remainder of the half, however, outscoring Western New England 25-7 over the final 12:33 to claim a 12-point lead at the break.
 
The Leopards extended their advantage to 16 (37-21) after scoring the first four points of the second half, but consecutive triples by Silva with just over 14 minutes left cut the visitors lead to ten (45-35). Silva scored 11 straight points for the Golden Bears overall, including another three that brought Western New England to within nine points (49-40) with 12:31 on the clock.
 
Gelineau then took his turn carrying the offense, scoring nine straight Golden Bear points before a pair of free throws by Askew cut the deficit to five (56-51) with 7:24 remaining. Western New England was unable to get any closer, however, as Wentworth stretched its lead back to ten (65-55) at the 4:40 mark and Fulcar sealed the win with eight points down the stretch.
 
Western New England (3-7, 1-3 CCC) and Wentworth (5-6, 3-1 CCC) will both be back in action on Thursday night, as the Golden Bears are slated to take on Nichols on the road and the Leopards return home to host Eastern Nazarene.