SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (January 23, 2024) – Western New England men's basketball junior Jake Harrison dropped his 1,000^th career point in Tuesday night's 79-57 win, totaling 13 points on the night to help the Western New England men's basketball team take down the Hawks of Roger Williams University, avenging their only loss in Commonwealth Coast Conference action earlier this season.

Records:

• Western New England: 14-4, 9-1 CCC
• Roger Williams University: 9-9, 7-3 CCC

How it Happened:

Gavin Greene scored his first of a team-high 20 points to open the scoring for the Golden Bears, getting WNE off and running early. Roger Williams would take one lead in the game when Mac Annus canned a three from distance, giving the Hawks a 3-2 lead. That lead would be the only one on the night for the visitors, as Cody Palazzesi would start a quick 8-0 run for the Golden Bears as WNE took a 10-3 lead. Palazzesi and Greene would each score four points in the sequence. RWU would drop their second three of the night when Philip Shghrue tallied for the Hawks before Western New England would go on another run, a 13-0 run this time to take a 23-6 lead just eight minutes into the game. In that sequence, with 13:17 to play in the half, Jake Harrison would drop his fourth point of the night and would become the 27^th member of the Western New England University men's basketball team to hit 1,000 career points. The junior would give the Golden Bears an 18-6 lead, while Brian Geitner and Matt Houde would contribute for the Golden Bears, giving WNE a 17-point advantage. The Hawks wouldn't be able to get within 13 points of a tie to end the first half as the Golden Bears offense would continue to roll. Gavin Greene, Cody Palazzesi, and Mike Resnick would all lend a helping hand in Western New England cashing in on a 20-point lead with 3:43 to play. Western New England would lead by as many as 22 in the first half, taking a 36-16 lead at the end of the first 20 minutes of play. Western New England shot 44% from the field in the first half, knocking down 16 field goals while holding
Roger Williams to just 19% shooting and 2/12 from deep from one of the CCC's premier outside shooting teams.

WNE would open the first half with a layup made by Gavin Greene, keeping the Golden Bears ahead by 20 points. Western New England would maintain their 20-point lead for much of the first seven minutes of the second half, with the Hawks and Golden Bears going back and forth on the offensive end. RWU would get a three from Annus, which sunk WNE's lead to 16 points, though a response layup from Greene would continue Western New England's run. Jake Harrison would get the Golden Bears their 20-point lead back with 6:12 to play, draining two free throws to take a 63-43 lead. The blue and gold would ice the game with a three-pointer from Cody Palazzesi with 1:14 to play, which gave the Golden Bears a 77-53 lead. The Golden Bears would hold their 20-point lead for the majority of the second half and would take down the Hawks by a final score of 79-57.

Inside the Lines:

• Jake Harrison's fourth point of the night was his 1,000^th in his young career. Harrison becomes the 27th member of Western New England men's basketball to etch his name on the 1,000-point scorer list. The South Boston, Massachusetts, native finished the night with 13 points.
• Gavin Greene led WNE with 20 points, shooting 9/12 from the field while grabbing six rebounds and one assist.
• Cody Palazzesi collected 15 points for the Golden Bears off 7/12 shooting while grabbing seven rebounds and a steal in the win.
• WNE saw their lead slip just once, at 3-2, before pouring it on Roger Williams to take the win.
• WNE shot 50% from the field while holding RWU to their lowest shooting percentage of the season (38%, 25/65) and second lowest field goal percentage on the year (21%, 4/19).
• RWU drained ten threes and shot 56% from the field in the first meeting this season, while WNE shot 55% from the field and stuck nine threes but could not come up with the win down the stretch.
• The Golden Bears have won four of their last five against Roger Williams.

Up Next on the Schedule:

• Western New England will host Nichols College (8-1 CCC) on Saturday, January 27, in a rematch of the 2023 CCC Championship game. WNE defeated Nichols 68-66 in Dudley earlier this season.