SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (February 22, 2024) – The second-seeded Western New England men's basketball team struggled from the three-point line along with the free throw line in Thursday night's CCC Semifinal game, while the sixth-seeded Rams of Suffolk University stunned the Golden Bears by getting clutch shot after clutch shot, ending up in a victory to advance to the CCC Championship game on Saturday. Suffolk would defeat WNE by a final score of 74-63.

Records:

• No. 2 Western New England: 19–8
• No. 6 Suffolk University: 15-11

How it Happened:

An offensive struggle for Western New England would not start early, as the home team would get off to a quick 8-2 lead in the CCC semifinal game when Tim Restall, Cody Palazzesi, and Gavin Greene all recorded early hoops for the Golden Bears. Suffolk's tenacity would be apparent early in the contest, not letting the hosts get too big of a lead. Keenan Robertson would help Suffolk get within three points, while Owen Walters would give the Rams a 10-9 lead with 10:49 to play. Andrew Byfield would quickly wipe Suffolk's lead away with a layup of his own, giving WNE an 11-10 lead at the midway point of the first half. Both teams would struggle in the first half on offense, though the Golden Bears would come around and grab a three-point lead after Tim Restall converted on a layup plus a foul, which gave WNE a 19-16 lead with 5:22 to play. Brian Geitner dropped two free throws, which gave the Golden Bears a five-point lead, though Suffolk's Cole Levangie would drop two threes to end the first half, ending the half on a 6-2 run that saw Western New England lead by one at the break, 27-26. Western New England left seven points on the scoreboard from missed free throws in the half while dropping just 2/13 threes, shooting 35% from the field as a team in the opening 20 minutes. Suffolk shot 40% from the field and 2/9 from three in the first half.

The Golden Bears got off to a quick start in the second half when Brian Geitner and Tim Restall both came around with hoops to start a spark, though that spark would quickly fizzle as the Golden Bears would continue to struggle from the floor. Suffolk's Danny Yardemian would tie the game at 33 with 17:02 to play in the second half while the Rams took their first lead of the game since the midway point of the first half when Yardemian grabbed back-to-back layups that gave Suffolk a 41-38 lead. Western New England would continue to leave points on the free throw line, though would hang with the Rams through the midway point of the second half. Jake Harrison would convert two free throws that dropped Suffolk's six-point lead to a now-two-point lead, with Gavin Greene also contributing for the Golden Bears. Suffolk would press Western New England with 5:30 to play when Cole Levangie dropped a shot-clock expiring three, while the Rams would grab an 11-point lead with 4:44 to play when Evan Cook for the Rams collected two free throws. Western New England would see Suffolk's lead rise to 14 with two minutes to play, a lead WNE would not be able to overcome as the CCC's sixth-seeded Rams would upset their second straight opponent on the road, defeating Western New England by a final score of 74-63.

Inside the lines:

• Western New England was doomed at the free throw line on Thursday night, hitting half of their 30 attempts, going 15/30 at the line. Western New England scored just four of 22 threes in the game.
• WNE turned the ball over 12 times in the game, with Suffolk coming away with eight steals.
• Suffolk outrebounded WNE 37-33 in the game.
• Jake Harrison led the way for WNE, scoring 13 points, grabbing seven rebounds, three steals, and two assists.
• Matt Houde (12 pts.), Cody Palazzesi (10 pts.), and Tim Restall (10 pts.) all helped Western New England on the offensive end.
• Suffolk saw four of their own drop double figures on Thursday night.
• WNE's five-game win streak over Suffolk snaps with the loss in the CCC semifinals.

Up Next on the Schedule:

• Western New England men's basketball sees their season come to an end with a 19-7 record. Suffolk advances to the CCC Championship game on Saturday, February 24, at fourth-seeded Roger Williams University.