Box Score

BOSTON, Mass. -- The Wentworth Institute of Technology men's basketball squad surged out of halftime to turn a 28-26 lead into a 17-point margin with 11 minutes remaining, but had to hold off a furious comeback bid by the University of New England to earn a 58-54 win Wednesday evening in the Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) opener at Tansey Gymnasium.

Seven different players scored for the Leopards in the early-going of the second half, as a 21-6 stretch over the initial nine minutes made it 49-32 in favor of the hosts.

Three quick baskets -- the first two by UNE senior Jarryd Rossignol (Caribou, Maine) -- and another, after an empty trip for WIT, had the deficit down to nine (49-40) with 8:57 left.

The gap was 11 (54-43) with 6:26 on the clock, before a trio of unanswered three-pointers -- by senior Marcus Winn (Austin, Texas), first-year Jordan Ferreira (Nantucket, Mass.), and Winn again -- cut the Wentworth lead to two (54-52) with under four minutes to play. Ferreira then hit a free throw at the 2:32 mark to make the difference one.

After each team went the next three possessions without advancing the score, UNE was forced to foul and Eric Prue stepped up to make both freebies for the Leopards, extending the margin to 56-53 with 31 ticks left.

The Nor'easters got one back on a free throw by first-year Timmy Mains (Auburn, Maine), and controlled the offensive rebound following the second shot that missed, but the ensuing try from long range with nine seconds to go bounced out.

Wentworth did not convert the front end of the 1-and-1, although Corey Therriault grabbed the board and the put-back as time expired provided the final tally.

Therriault finished with a game-high 21 points on 9-of-16 shooting, and added five rebounds and four steals. Adam Dombrowski was next with nine points, five steals, and four assists, while Prue chipped in with eight for the home team.

Ferreira led UNE with 17 points, while also collecting seven rebounds and six steals. Winn was the only other to reach double figures with 12, behind 4-of-8 shooting from deep. Senior Brian Jones (Austin, Texas) did not miss a shot in five attempts from either the floor or the charity stripe to close with nine points.

Runs both ways were the story of the first half, as Wentworth jumped out to a 19-4 cushion midway through the stanza, only to see the visitors get back to within two (19-7) after 13 straight points. Jones had seven during the stretch.

Seven of the next eight points went to the Leopards -- courtesy of Therriault -- before UNE ended the half with eight of 10 -- including five by Ferreira -- to make the deficit two (28-26) at the break.

Wentworth next heads to Eastern Nazarene College on Saturday, as Big Blue returns home to face Salve Regina University. Both games are slated to tip-off at 3 p.m.