HAWKS RALLY PAST REGIS COLLEGE GIVEN STRONG EFFORT BY PRIDE

BRISTOL, R.I. – The Roger Williams University Men's Basketball team got back on the winning side of the ledger with a 58-54 victory Saturday afternoon against Regis College.

In the first half, the Roger Williams defense held Regis in check, as the Pride only shot 9-of-28 (32.1 percent) from the field. Conversely, the Hawks hit nearly half of their shots in the first half, going 11-of-24 (45.8 percent) from the floor. Matt Grossbard (Pearl River, N.Y.) played a large role in the first half offense for RWU, scoring nine points on 3-of-5 shooting from downtown.

In addition to the proficient shooting for Roger Williams in the period, the Hawks also did a good job crashing the boards, outrebounding the Pride 20-13 in the period. The Hawks' efforts led to a 28-19 halftime lead, the second-lowest score this season for a Hawk opponent in the first half.

In the second period, Regis cut at the Hawk lead early on, with Darrin Kelly (South Dennis, Mass.) putting in a jumper with 15:41 to play to give Regis its first lead of the game (31-30). Grossbard answered on the Hawks' next possession with a trey to put RWU back up by two.

Though Regis would not regain the lead over the course of the game, the Pride remained within striking distance of the Hawks, keeping the deficit within single digits up until the final two minutes of the game.

The back-breaking play for Regis came in the final minute, with Regis trailing 52-45. The Hawks ran down the shot clock, but solid defense by the Pride stalled the Hawks from getting off a clear shot. Corey Fava (Aliso Viejo, Calif.) found himself on the floor near mid-court looking to get rid of the ball. Fava handed the ball off to Tom Rafael (Ladera Ranch, Calif.), who heaved a turn-around fadeaway with one second left on the clock and found nothing but net as the desperation three-point made it a ten-point Hawk lead with 50 seconds to play. Roger Williams would hold off Regis the rest of the way and escaped with the win.

Grossbard finished with a season-high 12 points for the Hawks, all of which came on three-pointers. Pat Flanagan (Somerville, Mass.) added 11 points, four rebounds, and a pair for blocks, while Rafael added nine points and six boards off the bench.

Derrick Neal (Boston, Mass.) finished with a game-high 24 points, along with four rebounds and four steals. Phil Alibrandi (York, Maine) went for six points and six boards, while Robert Edwards (Idaho Falls, Idaho) added six points and four blocks.

Roger Williams (15-8, 7-4 TCCC) hosts Curry College Wednesday at 8:00 p.m., while Regis (14-9, 7-4 TCCC) takes on Nichols College Wednesday at 7:30 p.m.