Men’s Basketball Hands WNE First CNE Loss of Season, 70-60

BOSTON – Suffolk men's basketball took care of business in front of Ram Nation at Larry E. and Michael S. Smith Court Wednesday night to beat Western New England, 70-60. The victory gave the Golden Bears their first Conference of New England setback of the 2024-25 season.  

THE BASICS
SCORE: Suffolk 70 | Western New England 60
RECORDS: Suffolk (10-6, 6-3 CNE) | Western New England (12-4, 8-1 CNE)  

HOW IT HAPPENED
Cole LeVangie swished a pair of triples to get the game going. The Rams remained in front and managed to build an eight-point advantage twice, with the last coming at 35-27, with 2:32 to play before halftime.  

The Golden Bears outscored the host 5-1 over the final 2:20 to cut Suffolk's lead to a pair, 36-34, at halftime. 

Out of the locker room, Suffolk quickly rebuilt its eight-point edge, 43-234, as Keenan Robertson, Jake Gomez and Danny Yardemian all poured in a bucket. 

The Golden Bears got the gap back down to two possessions, 46-40, with 13:47 on the clock.  

Devin Dzikas sparked an 11-3 Suffolk stretch. The Rams shooting clinic that spanned nearly three minutes minutes featured two long balls by Dzikas, one from Nick Verdile and a baseline jumper from Yardemian as the shot clock expired. That run gave the host a 14-point, 57-43, at the midway point.  

WNE dropped back into a zone defense, which allowed Suffolk to work the ball around for the perfect shot. This pace of play allowed the Rams to maintain the double figure distance and sit in front by 16, 68-52, with 3:02 left to play.  

Full court pressure paid off for the Golden Bears as they snuck back within 10 thanks, 68-58, with 58 seconds to go.  

Composure factored in down the stretch and two freebies by Dzikas sealed the 70-60 triumph for Suffolk.  

STATISTICALLY SPEAKING

• Robertson had a game-high 18 points on a 7-for-13 showing from the field. The senior grabbed 12 boards to complete the double-double to go along with two assists, two blocks and one steal. 
• LeVangie logged a 15-point night on a 5-for-8 showing from the floor that included a 3-for-6 effort from 3-point range. His stat line featured eight boards, one swat and one takeaway as well. 
• Dzikas was a positive spark of the bench as he put together a 13-point performance on a 4-for-8 effort from the floor that featured a 3-for-7 showing from downtown. 
• Yardemian had an all-around effort of nine points, seven boards, three dimes and two steals. 
• Suffolk shot 45.6 percent (26-57) from the field, 32.0 percent (8-25) from behind-the-arc and 62.5 percent from the charity stripe. 
• The Rams outrebounded the Golden Bears, 42-33. 
• Suffolk capitalized on its 13 offensive boards, converting them to 19 points.  

NOTEWORTHY

• Suffolk improved to 11-19 all-time against Western New England. 
• The Rams bested the Golden Bears in back-to-back meetings for the first time since they defeated WNE Nov. 16, 2013, 95-84 and again six seasons later, Jan. 14, 2019, 91-77. 
• It is the first time in the Jeff Juron era that Suffolk bested WNE in two consecutive meetings. 
• Suffolk is now 6-9 when hosting the Golden Bears in Boston. 
• It is the Rams first win over WNE at home since Dec. 4, 2021, a 100-62 victory. 
• The blue-and-gold moved to 4-5 versus WNE under Juron's guidance. 
• Robertson had his 11th career double-double, fourth of the season, first since Jan. 4, 2025 at Roger Williams.  

WHAT'S NEXT?
Suffolk rides the winning momentum into Saturday's, Jan. 25 showdown at Curry that is scheduled for a 2:00 p.m. start.