In Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) men's basketball action at Western New England's AHLC Gymnasium today, the Fighting Scots' dominant second half was not enough to overcome a slow start as the Golden Bears snapped their guests' 15-game win streak with a 94-88 finish. 

Garrisson Duvivier dropped a game-high 30 points and snatched 14 boards, while fellow big man Parker Omslaer booked 16 points and 11 boards, Eric Demers added 16 points, and Noah Szilagyi rounded out the top scorers with 15 points.

The home team was led by a quartet of double-digit scorers. Mikey Pettway (Sr./Bridgeport, Conn.) led his squad with 24 points while dishing out seven assists, Alex Sikorski (So./Rocky Hill, Conn.) had 17 points and six boards, Mike McGuire (Jr./Garden City, N.Y.) netted 15 points, and Tim Reilly (Jr./Poughkeepsie, N.Y.) scored 14 points in the victory.

The Scots have their eyes set on Tuesday, January 22 as they host the University of New England for a 7:30 p.m. tip-off, while the Golden Bears look to make it two in a row as they host Wentworth also for a 7:30 p.m. start.

How It Happened

• Looking to avenge their 29-point loss earlier this season against the Scots, WNE kept Gordon close, battling point-for-point to an early 12-10 lead five minutes into the game. Then, a Kenny Flynn (Fr./Dudley, Mass.) jumper midway through the first gave the Golden Bears a considerable 24-13 edge.
• Back-to-back jumpers off the hands of Szilagyi brought the Scots within seven with 6:55 remaining, but Antonio Brancato (Fr./Fairfield, Conn.) rattled off a jumper with just over a minute to go in the half to stretch the Golden Bears' lead to 48-29. They went on to take an eventual 17-point lead going into the break.
• In the second, McGuire hit a jumper from behind the arc to create a 21-point– the largest lead of the day– lead for WNE. Not going down without a fight, the Scots went on an 11-point run sparked by Demers and Szilagyi to close the deficit to seven.
• Duvivier slammed home a dunk while getting fouled which allowed the senior to successfully complete a three-point play to trail the Golden Bears by three midway through the half. Though WNE held on to score eight quick points and regain a double-digit lead, Duvivier had some magic left as he again brought the Scots within three five minutes later after hitting a pair of freebies from the free throw line.
• After Sikorski knocked in a three with 3:02 remaining to once again give the Golden Bears a double digit lead, the Scots' Jake Haar hit a three to bring Gordon within eight. But time expired on the Scots' comeback effort as the Golden Bears secured the six-point win.

Beyond The Box Score

• Parker Omslaer's six blocks is a career-high for the sophomore.
• With another solid performance today, Garrisson Duvivier booked his 14th game of the season with a double-double.
• Said Head Coach Tod Murphy: "There was no rabbit in the hat tonight. We are a very good team, but we can't expect to play a half of a game and beat anyone in our conference. Western New England wanted it today a lot more than we did, and they took it from us. They played a great game and deserved to win. I hope this will serve as a wake up call to our team."