Men’s Basketball Upset by Roger Williams in CCC Quarterfinals

QUINCY, Mass.- The Eastern Nazarene College men's basketball team suffered a stunning 68-67 loss to Roger Williams in the Commonwealth Coast Conference Tournament quarterfinals Tuesday evening at the Lahue Physical Education Center.

The third-seeded Lions finish the year with an 18-8 overall record with result. The sixth-seeded Hawks improve to 11-15 on the season and advance to the CCC semifinals.

Senior Jaylen Owens (Johns Creek, Ga.) poured in a game-high 20 points while adding five assists, four boards and two steals. Lequan Gomes (Fairfield, Calif.) recorded 18 points and David Eddings (Endicott, N.Y.) scored seven points to go with seven rebounds.

The guests grabbed a three-point lead 2:27 into the game on a trey by Austin Coene, 7-4, and widened the gap to five as Jaylen Jennings converted two free throws with 12:32 remaining in the first half, 13-8.

Eastern Nazarene seized a one-point edge with 10:48 left to play in the half on a fast-break layup by Gomes after a no-look dish by Anthony Petrilli (Woodland, Hills, Calif.).

The hosts strung together a 10-0 run to claim a 28-19 lead with 5:15 to go  in the opening stanza, capped off by a three-pointer by Jeremy Wagner (Oklahoma City, Okla.).

The Lions stretched the gap to 13 points as Petrilli splashed a triple with 44 seconds on the clock, 38-25.

Roger Williams responded with three free throws in the final 11 seconds of the half to cut Eastern Nazarene's halftime lead to 10, 38-28.

The Lions posted a field-goal percentage of 45.2% in the first half while connecting on 33.3% of their attempts from the perimeter. The Hawks shot 45.5% from the floor in the opening period and drained one three-pointer on six chances.

Gomes and Owens paced the home side through 20 minutes of play with 11 points each.

Roger Williams started the second frame with a 16-7 run to erase the double-digit deficit and snag a 46-45 advantage with 12:52 remaining.

After the Hawks pushed their lead to four, Eastern Nazarene clawed back to take a 57-56 edge with 8:08 to go on a layup by Eddings.

The two teams traded buckets and a free throw by Roger Williams' Trevor Fahmy leveled the score at 61-61 with 4:50 left to play.

Gomes powered in a layup on the Lions' next possession before the Hawks captured a one-point lead with 3:14 remaining on a trey by Andrew Wasik, 64-63.

Once again, Gomes answered with a jumper to restore the hosts' lead to a point, 65-64, with three minutes to go.

Roger Williams tallied four consecutive points to establish a three-point advantage with 1:20 left to play, 68-65.

Eastern Nazarene trimmed the margin to 68-67 as Owens sank a pair of foul shots with 1:14 on the clock.

The Lions possessed the ball in the waning seconds but their late effort clanked off the iron as the Hawks pulled off the upset win.

Eastern Nazarene shot 42.6% from the floor on the night and 38.9% from beyond the arc. Roger Williams finished with a field-goal percentage of 54.3% to go with 38.5% shooting from long distance.