SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (January 13, 2024) – Western New England seniors Mike Resnick and Brian Geitner shot a combined 9/10 from beyond the arc while converting 12 combined field goals in Saturday's 95-76 CCC victory over the visiting Gulls of Endicott College from the Alumni Healthful Living Center.

Records:

• Endicott College: 10-5, 5-2 CCC
• Western New England: 11-4, 6-1 CCC

How it Happened:

Senior Mike Resnick started the three-point shooting barrage early, knocking down a triple to get the scoring started for the Golden Bears. Endicott would respond with a three-ball of their own when Jalen Echevarria swished home a three, as the teams would quickly go back and forth. Tim Restall converted the next bucket for the Golden Bears and converted a foul shot to give WNE a three-point lead, which again would quickly be wiped away when Elijah Kinney splashed a three. Endicott would take a three-point lead when Kinney connected again, though an 8-0 run for the Golden Bears would lead the blue and gold back ahead by five as Mike Resnick would drop two three-balls and Cody Palazzesi found the twine on a layup, giving WNE a 16-11 lead. Western New England would attempt to pull away from the Gulls but would not be able to as Matt Boen would help keep the Golden Bears at bay. Five straight points from Brian Geitner would help cushon WNE's lead with 8:50 left as the Golden Bears led 28-21. Matt Houde would extend WNE's lead to ten points three minutes later with a driving layup on an assist from Gavin Greene before Mike Resnick dialed up another triple to give the Golden Bears a 40-27 advantage. The double-digit lead would remain for the Golden Bears through the end of the first half after Jake Harrison would pot home a buzzer-beating layup to give Western New England a 44-32 halftime lead. The Golden Bears shot 16/27 from the field in the first half and sank seven three-point shots. Six of Endicott's ten field goals in the first half came via three-point range.

After a foul and a free throw for Endicott's Ty Vitko to cut WNE's lead to nine, the Golden Bears would begin to soar, converting on the offensive end while holding Endicott off the scoreboard on the defensive end. Gavin Greene and Cody Palazzesi would score back-to-back hoops for the Golden Bears to take a 52-39 lead. The Golden Bears lead got to 20 points with 14:39 to play in the half when Brian Geitner continued to rain from three-point land, sinking a three on a pass from Jake Harrison. Western New England would keep a stagnant lead through the midway point of the second half, with Western New England's largest lead growing to 23 points on a pair of made free throws. With 4:16 left in the half, Mike Resnick would put an exclamation point on the contest, finishing at the rim to give WNE an 88-63 lead. WNE would see Melvin Kolenovic and Will Laplante III contribute in the final minutes of the game as Western New England would blow past Endicott in an important CCC contest, defeating the Gulls by a final score of 95-76.

Inside the Lines:

• Brian Geitner was perfect from the field in Saturday's win, shooting 6/6, including 5/5 from distance, finishing the day with 19 points. The Tolland, Connecticut, native grabbed six rebounds and one assist in the win.
• Mike Resnick dropped 16 points, shooting 4/5 from deep. Tim Restall finished with a stat line of 16 points, eight rebounds, three assists, a block, and a steal in the win.
• Gavin Green (11 points), Cody Palazzesi (10 points), and Matt Houde (10 points) all contributed to Western New England's offense on the afternoon.
• WNE shot 57% from the field, splashing 11 three-point shots in the game. The Golden Bears also continued to improve their free throw percentage, finishing the afternoon at 14/18 from the stripe.
• Endicott was led by first-year Elijah Kinney, who scored 22 points while hauling in ten rebounds in the losing effort.
• Endicott missed 15 free throws in the game, shooting 19/34 from the line. The Gulls were 1/10 from three in the second half and finished with a 41% field goal percentage.
• WNE picked up 46 points in the pain and 17 points off turnovers overall.

Up Next on the Schedule:

• The Golden Bears will head to Gordon College on Wednesday, January 17, at 7:30 p.m. for another CCC matchup as WNE looks to avenge their defeat in last year's regular season finale.