SPRINGFIELD, Mass. - The Western New England College men's basketball
ran its winning streak to three games with an entertaining 94-89 victory
over visiting Regis Tuesday evening (Feb. 9) at the Alumni Healthful
Living Center.

The Golden Bears raised their record to 12-9 overall and 7-3 in The
Commonwealth Coast Conference (TCCC).

Senior forward Brendan Murphy (West Springfield, MA) led the Golden
Bears with 21 points (19 in the opening half) while sophomore guard
Andre Shaw (Jamaica, NY) added 19 points and four assists coming off the
bench.

Also scoring in double figures were senior guard Rick Johnson
(Springfield, MA) who netted 16 points with six rebounds and five
assists. Junior forward Brad Thomka (Springfield, MA) contributed 14
points (12 in the second stanza) and six rebounds.

WNEC led 53-47 at halftime before the Pride took a 63-61 lead following
a jumper by senior forward Jesse Vega (Pawtucket, RI) at the 12:05 mark.

There were several lead changes and ties over the next seven minutes
before Regis took its final lead at 79-78 after junior guard Darrin
Kelley (South Dennis, MA) with 4:34 remaining.

Western New England College then went on a 12-2 run to go ahead by nine
(90-81) when junior guard Andre Duncan (Bronx, NY) made a free throw
with 52.7 seconds left.

Vega had a double-double with 24 points and 10 rebounds (both game
highs) as all five Pride players hit for double figures.

Junior forward Phil Alibrandi (York, ME) tossed in 20 points  while
junior guard Derrick Neal (Boston, MA)  had 17 points. Both players each
grabbed eight rebounds.

Kelly, who had eight assists and three steals, finished with 13 points
as did senior guard James Cooper (Philadelphia, PA).

Western New England College shot 56.5% from the field and 76.2% from the
charity stripe.

Regis (8-14, 4-6 TCCC) connected on 46.1% of its field-goal attempts,
but made only 54.5% of its foul shots. The Pride held a 44-30 advantage
off the boards thanks to 18 offensive rebounds.