SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (January 7, 2025) – The Western New England men's basketball team picked up a 20-point victory on Tuesday night behind double-double performances from both Tim Restall and Jake Harrison while Matt Houde and Brian Geitner were also in double figures in a 90-70 victory over the Hawks of Roger Williams University.

Records:

• Western New England: 9-3, 5-0 CNE
• Roger Williams University: 8-4, 3-2 CNE

How it Happened:

The two teams would exchange the first eight buckets of the game to keep it close in the early goings of the first half. Tim Restall would be on the board first for Western New England after a tip-in layup would go for the graduate student while fellow Tolland, Connecticut, native Brian Geitner would record his first three points of the game, hitting from the top of the arc to give the Golden Bears their first lead of the game. A hot shooting team themselves, RWU would rip off their first triple of the game when Philip Sughrue nailed a shot for the Hawks. Ty Higgins would have Roger Williams' next three ball in the game, which gave the Hawks a 10-7 lead with 16:05 to play, though the lead would not last long as Jake Harrison and Tim Restall would pick up back-to-back layups to get the lead back for the Golden Bears. Ryan Higgins would give Roger Williams their largest lead of the game at six with 13:00 to play, hitting from distance, continuing the red-hot start from the visitors. Cody Palazzesi and Matt Houde would stop the Hawks run by picking up back-to-back layups, cutting down RWU's lead to two. Higgins would splash another triple with 9:41 to play, which gave the Hawks another six-point lead. WNE would again get back within two before the Hawks would again get their lead back to six. The Golden Bears would then go on a 7-0 run of their own as Luka Vlajkovic, Nate Kasper, and Matt Houde would connect, giving the Golden Bears a 29-28 lead with 6:30 still to play. RWU would answer with the next five as Nate Lopes would hit from inside as well as a triple to give Roger Williams a 34-29 lead. The back-and-forth opening half would see neither team lead by more than two in the final three minutes of the half. Western New England would grab the final four points of the half as Andrew Byfield and Nate Kasper recorded hoops, giving WNE a 41-39 halftime lead. Both teams showed strong shooting in the opening half. Western New England was 17/31 overall in the opening half, nailing five of nine threes. Half of RWU's field goals came from distance, as the Hawks were 14/27 overall from the field and 7/13 from three-point land.

Western New England recorded five of the opening seven points in the first two minutes of the second half, which gave the Golden Bears a five-point lead. Tim Restall contributed a layup plus a free throw to convert the three-point play. The Hawks would take a lead with 14:12 remaining in the second half after Ryan Higgins would continue to be scorching hot from distance. Following a jumper from Higgins that gave the Hawks a 55-53 lead, Western New England would go on another quick 7-0 run, getting their lead back up to five. Brian Geitner would rain down another triple while Vlajkovic and Harrison would get to hoop to score. Western New England would begin to increase their lead, grabbing an 8-0 run on help from Nate Kasper, Matt Houde, and Tim Restall, giving Western New England their first double-digit lead of the game. The Golden Bears would break the game open with a 20-point lead with 3:26 to play, getting transition buckets to blow past Roger Williams. Jake Harrison would cap off his double-double night by scoring Western New England's 90^thpoint of the night as the Golden Bears would come away with a 90-70 victory over the Hawks, remaining perfect in CNE play on the year.

Inside the Lines:

• Both Tim Restall and Jake Harrison picked up double-doubles for Western New England in the game. Restall picked up 17 points in the game and 11 rebounds, shooting 8/14 from the floor while also grabbing two assists, two blocks, and a steal. Harrison notched a season-high 16 points for the Golden Bears while coming away with 11 rebounds for his second double-double of the season. Harrison also had four assists and a steal in the win.
• Matt Houde provided a spark off the bench for the Golden Bears, scoring 16 points off 6/7 shooting, including 23 from deep. Houde also had six assists, three rebounds, and a steal for the Golden Bears.
• Brian Geitner hit two threes and finished in double figures for the ninth straight game overall, scoring ten points for WNE.
• Western New England shot a season-best 57.8% from the floor while nailing eight threes in the game. The 90-point output is the most in any game this season for the Golden Bears.
• RWU shot just 9/27 in the second half and was just 2/10 from distance in the loss. Both Finn Miller and Ryan Higgins had 14 points each for the Hawks to lead the way.
• WNE has beaten the Hawks in their last two games and is 5-1 in their last six overall.

Up Next on the Schedule:

• Western New England hits the road for a conference game at Endicott College on Saturday, January 11, at 3:00 PM.