Statistics

BIDDEFORD, Maine -- Roger Williams University separated from the University of New England with a 15-2 run down the stretch, booking a 102-89 Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) men's basketball decision on Saturday afternoon (Jan. 19) at the Harold Alfond Forum.

The Hawks trailed by one (78-77) at the 6:17 mark, but did not miss a shot while surging up to a 92-80 cushion with 2:45 to go. Roger Williams had an identical spurt in even less time (2:11) earlier in the 2nd half to gain a 62-53 lead, only to see eight in-a-row by the Nor'easters swing the advantage back to the home side (74-73).

The visiting squad drained 8-of-13 tries from three-point land (61.5%) after halftime to out-score UNE by 12 points from behind the arc, both in the period and for the contest. Overall, RWU made 63 percent of its shot attempts (38-for-60) and knocked down 15-of-27 from deep.

The Nor'easters, meanwhile, connected at a 41 percent clip (34-for-83) from the floor during the match.

Topping the Hawks (9-9, 6-3 CCC) was Austin Coene with 29 points, 16 rebounds, and five assists. With 16 seconds remaining in the game, Coene dropped in a free throw for point number 26 to become Roger Williams' all-time leading scorer at 1,929 points, surpassing a mark that stood for 37 years.

Rich Pugliese sunk 17 of his 21 points for RWU in the final 20 minutes, and Jake Heaton went 6-of-7 from long distance to contribute 20 points. Drew Hart registered 16 points, nine rebounds, and six assists, while 12 helpers came from JJ Pfohl.

For UNE (5-13, 3-6 CCC), Avery DeBrito posted 14 points and four steals. DeMarquez Hadnot supported with 13 points, and both Daron Hoges, Jr. and Alex Kravchuk added 12 more. Drake Gavin corralled a team-high six boards.

The Nor'easters led by as many as eight (27-19, 34-26) in the 1st half, before the teams settled on 45-all at the break.

UNE is slated to visit league-leading Gordon College (8-1 CCC) on Tuesday.