Box Score SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (November 18, 2023) – Western New England men's basketball junior Jake Harrison dropped a season-best 33 points, matching a career high, while both Gavin Greene and Mike Resnick scored in double figures to help the Golden Bears defeat the Red Dragons of SUNY Cortland on Saturday evening to move into the Hampton Inn Holiday Classic championship game on Sunday afternoon.

Records:

• Western New England: 3-1
• SUNY Cortland: 0-2

How it Happened:

A back-and-forth first half would see the Golden Bears get on the board first when Gavin Greene connected on an offensive rebound putback. SUNY Cortland sharpshooter Kareem Lubin knocked down a three, which was answered by a WNE three by Jake Harrison as the two teams would exchange early triples. Western New England would see Greene and Harrison combine for the first 19 points of the game, as 13 of those 19 points would belong to Harrison, the South Boston, Massachusetts, native. The teams would be tied 19-19 with 7:19 to play before Brian Geitner got to the free throw line to break up the scoring duo as the Golden Bears would take the lead. Mike Resnick dropped a three to give Western New England a six-point lead at 25-19 with 6:21 to play. With under three minutes to play, the Red Dragons would sink Western New England's lead to three before Jamani Alves got to the rip, while Will Laplante III would dial up a three-pointer with 52 seconds left. Jake Harrison would close out the half with the final five points for the Golden Bears, all from the free throw line, as Western New England would take a 40-30 lead after 20 minutes of play. Harrison finished the first half with 22 points for the Golden Bears on 6/7 shooting while connecting on 9/11 free throws. WNE shot 52% from the field in the half, grabbing three steals and forcing 12 Red Dragon turnovers.

Jake Harrison picked up right where he left to begin the second half, dropping a three-ball on WNE's first possession of the game to extend Western New England's lead to their largest of the evening, 13. Kareem Lubin would continue to shoot the ball well for the Red Dragons, cutting into Western New England's 13-point lead, as Cortland would connect on back-to-back three-point shots to get within four points of a tie in the contest. Gavin Greene interrupted the Red Dragons 9-0 run with two buckets in a row, followed by a Brian Geitner layup that would give the Golden Bears an eight-point lead with just over 14 minutes left to play in the game. A pair of free throws from Jake Harrison would give WNE a ten-point lead with 12 minutes to play, a double-digit lead the Golden Bears would hold for the remainder of the contest. Nate Kasper would get on the board with two quick layups, while Mike Renick would connect from three with eight minutes remaining, giving the Golden Bears a sizeable lead. Jake Harrison would give Western New England their biggest lead of the game at 18 points, while Gavin Greene would quickly extend that to a 20-point lead with 4:10 remaining, 79-59. The Golden Bears would come away with an 83-63 victory in the first ever meeting between the two teams, while Jake Harrison would match his career high with 33 points in the win.

Inside the Lines:

• Western New England shot 89% from the field in the second half, knocking down 16 of 18 shots, including three of three from distance, to put away the Red Dragons.
• As a team, the Golden Beats shot 67% from the field and converted 19/23 free throws.
• Junior Jake Harrison scored a season best 33 points in the win while grabbing eight rebounds and three assists in the win. Harrison's 33 points are his most since February 1, 2023, in a home game against Roger Williams University.
• Gavin Greene connected on nine shots on 11 attempts in the win, sinking 20 points in the win. Greene also grabbed four rebounds for Western New England.
• Mike Resnick helped WNE with ten points on 4/7 shooting while knocking down two three-point shots.
• Despite turning the ball over 21 times, Western New England would outscore Cortland 20-18 on points off turnovers.
• Cortland's Kareem Lubin scored a team-high 14 points in the loss.

Up Next on the Schedule:

• Western New England will play in the championship game of the Hampton Inn Holiday Classic on Sunday, November 19, at 3:00 PM, taking on Kean University.