Second Half Surge Sends Roger Williams Over Men’s Basketball, 80-67

BRISTOL, R.I. – Suffolk men's basketball could not hold off a second-half rally by Roger Williams as the Rams fell to the Hawks, 80-67, Tuesday night at the Rec Campus Center. 

THE BASICS
SCORE: Suffolk 67 | Roger Williams 80
RECORDS: Suffolk (5-4) | Roger Williams (7-3)  

HOW IT HAPPENED
After the score locked twice, and the lead was exchanged two times, Roger Williams went on an 8-2 rally to put the Rams in a 20-13 hole six minutes into the action. 

The seven-point margin hung around for the next four minutes until Max Bonney-Liles sparked an 11-2 Suffolk scoring stretch that turned the game in the visitors favor, 33-29, with 6:229 remaining in the opening half. The Rams' run featured five points from Bonney-Liles and two apiece by Connor Byrne, Nate Hale, George Grillakis and William Rowe, with Brendan Mulson's freebie in the mix as well. 

Over the final 5:45 of the first frame the teams went hoop-for-hoop. The blue-and-gold never gave up the edge, however, and took a 43-41 lead into the locker room.   

Roger Williams ran out of the intermission scoring two straight buckets to tie the game then go up, 45-43. That advantage blossomed to a double-digit distance, 60-50, at the 11:42 minute mark.  

Once again Bonney-Liles started a Suffolk comeback attempt that pulled the Rams within seven, 64-57, at the midway point. 

The Hawks took control though when the visitors went cold from the floor, going scoreless for a 2:23-minute span that let the hosts go up by as many as 16, 78-62, with 3:25 minutes left on the clock.  

A traditional three-point play by Mulson ended the draught with just over three minutes to go, but the Rams wouldn't score again until Alex Jacovides put away a layup with under two minutes to play and the game was just out of reach for the blue-and-gold.  

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

• Bonney-Liles paced the scoring with a 14-point performance, shooting 6-for-10 from the floor and 2-for-5 from three-point land.
• Mulson provided 13 points, five rebounds and one helper. 
• Rowe had an all-around night with 11 points, six boards, four assists and a pair of blocks. 
• Hale added 10 points on a 5-for-10 showing from the floor with two steals, one block, one handout and one board in a reserve effort. 
• Suffolk shot 46.8 percent (29-62) from the floor, 27.3 percent from three-point land (3-11) and 66.7 percent (6-9) from the charity stripe. 
• The Hawks outrebounded the Rams, 34-25.  

POST-GAME PIC
  

WHAT'S NEXT?
Suffolk entertains UMass Boston Saturday, Dec. 14. The Boston battle wraps up for first semester action for the blue-and-gold is set for a 1 p.m. tip-off at the Larry E. and Michael S. Smith Court.