BRISTOL, R.I. – Thanks to a few timely plays at the end of the game, Curry College secured a 64-60 win over the Roger Williams University Men’s Basketball team Thursday evening.
The Colonels sweep the season series that began with a 69-61 win back on January 10 and improve to 9-11 overall, 7-6 in the Commonwealth Coast Conference. Roger Williams had a four-game winning streak snapped and fall to 12-8 overall (8-5 CCC).
Curry erased a six-point deficit with 3:06 to play, holding the Hawks scoreless over the rest of the game and closing out with nine straight points to earn the win.
After Adam Cook (Manasquan, N.J.) went 1-of-2 at the line to put the Hawks on top 60-54, Curry’s A.J. Stephens (Stamford, Conn.) put in a layup on the following possession off of an offensive rebound to pull within four. Then with 1:39 left, Eric Guglielmello (Paxton, Mass.) knocked down a pair of free throws to bring the gap within two.
On the ensuing inbound, the Hawks were called for travelling, giving the ball back to Curry. The ball went back into the paint to Stephens, who put in the game-tying basket with 1:21 left in the game. After a missed jumper for RWU, Stephens made his way to the foul line on another strong move inside.
Stephens would hit the first and miss the second, but a long tapout rebound by Guglielmello kept possession with the Colonels, forcing the Hawks to foul. Lambros Papalambros (Quincy, Mass.) hit both freebies to make it a three-point Colonel advantage (63-60).
The Hawks had a chance to knot the game with six seconds left but a three-point attempt by James LeCardi (Fair Haven, N.J.) from the right side just missed the mark, with Curry coming up with the rebound. Guglielmello hit the first of two free throws to ice the game and give the Colonels the win.
Despite coming off the bench, Stephens finished with a double-double, going for a game-high 26 points and 12 rebounds. Sedale Jones (Pittsfield, Mass.) finished with 17 points and three steals while Brian Boyajian (Saugus, Mass.) added six points and four rebounds.
Pat Flanagan (Somerville, Mass.) led the Hawks with 15 points and four blocks. Mike Engemann (Red Bank, N.J.) added seven points and ten rebounds, while Matt Clifford chipped in with seven points and nine boards off the bench. Ryan Palumbo (Warwick, R.I.) went for 14 points, six boards, and five assists.
Roger Williams heads north to Maine to take on the University of New England on Saturday while Curry hosts Salve Regina on Saturday as well. (Recap courtesy of RWU Sports Information)
