Providence, R.I. - The Johnson & Wales University men's basketball team posted a commanding 88-69 victory against Suffolk in a Great Northeast Athletic Conference contest at the Harborside Recreation Center on Thursday evening.
Sophomore Lamonte Thomas (Providence, R.I.) led Johnson & Wales with 18 points and six rebounds while sophomore Calvin Jones (Providence, R.I.) also had 18 points grabbed boards in the victory. Junior Louis Ferreras (Providence, R.I.) added 15 points, five rebounds and four assists while sophomore James Folk (Salem, N.H.) rounded out the double figure scorers for JWU with 10 points in the victory.
Leading the way for Suffolk was sophomore Luke Barrett (Cincinnati, Ohio) with 12 points off the bench. Freshman Colin Halpin (Melrose, Mass.) added 10 points and four rebounds for the Rams while freshman Matt Pepdjonovic (Quincy, Mass.) tallied eight points and a game-high 12 rebounds in the setback.
Johnson & Wales controlled the action in the early stages of the first half and took a 20-9 lead on a layup by Jones with 10:05 left in the first half. Suffolk responded with a 13-4 run and cut the lead to 26-22 on a layup by freshman Karl Busch (Smithfield, R.I.) with 5:30 remaining on the clock. JWU then used an 11-0 run over the next three minutes to take the 37-22 lead. The Wildcats would have the 42-29 lead heading into the locker room at halftime.
Suffolk cut the lead to just six points after a pair of free throws by Barrett made the score 49-43 with 14:25 left in the game. JWU responded with a 22-8 run, capped by a layup by Thomas to give the squad the 71-51 lead with 7:17 left. The Wildcats led by as many as 29 late in the second half en route to the 88-69 victory.
With the win Johnson & Wales improves to 7-10 overall and 4-6 in the GNAC while Suffolk falls to 5-12 for the season, 1-9 in league play. The Wildcats will return to action on Saturday, January 30th when they host Emerson for a Great Northeast Athletic Conference contest, starting at 3:00 p.m.
(Story courtesy of Johnson & Wales University Athletic Communications)