The Suffolk University Men's Basketball team (4-4, 1-1 GNAC) scored a 74-54 victory over the Johnson & Wales University Wildcats (1-6, 0-2 GNAC) on Thursday evening at the Harborside RAC in Providence.

Junior Chris Torres (Brockton, Mass.) netted 28 points as Suffolk tops the defending league champions and pick up their first win of the season in Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) play, as they move to a 4-4 overall record on the season.

Junior Matt Pepdjonovic (Quincy, Mass.) recorded his sixth double-double in eight games posting 19 points and 21 rebounds, while junior Colin Halpin (Melrose, Mass.) scored 14 points on 7-for-12 shooting from the field.

Senior Lamonte Thomas (Providence, R.I.), the leading scorer among NCAA Division-III players in the nation, netted 31 points in the game to lead all scorers, but the Suffolk defense contained the rest of the Wildcats as only three other players scored points.

Suffolk opened the game scoring the first eight points of the contest in the opening four minutes of the game and then built their lead to 13-2 on a Pepdjonovic shot from the free-throw line.

The Rams set an 18-point spread in the closing minute of the first half before a pair of free throws by Thomas would make it 40-24 heading into the break.

Torres would take control of the second half as he was 5-for-6 from the field, connecting on all three shots he took from beyond the arc and was a perfect 6-for-6 from the line en route to a 19-point second half. Over a four minute span in the second half the junior guard took control of the game beating the Wildcats almost single headedly as he scored 16 straight points for Suffolk, while JWU only answered with two points of their own over that span.

Freshman Carlos De La Cruz (Marlborough, Mass.) logged 36 minutes for the Rams recording six points, five rebounds and a team-high seven assists.

Suffolk will be back in GNAC action on Saturday afternoon as they host the Monks of St. Joseph's College (Me.) in the final game before break. Tip-off is scheduled for 1:00pm in the Regan Gymnasium.