Posted: Jan 09, 2014
Five players scored in double figures to lead the Johnson & Wales University men's basketball team to a commanding 86-61 victory against Suffolk in a Great Northeast Athletic Conference contest at the Wildcat Center on Thursday evening.
The Wildcats were led by senior Curtis Lucas (Providence, R.I.) who tallied 18 points, three rebounds and three assists while fellow senior Esaie Touze (Providence, R.I.) recorded a double-double with 15 points and 10 boards. Sophomores Robert Lewis (Providence, R.I.) and Tom Garrick (Seekonk, Mass.) each had 16 points in the victory while classmate Quarry Greenaway (Westchester, N.Y.) rounded out the double-figure scorers with 11 points, six rebounds and four assists for the Wildcats.
Sophomore Caleb Unni (Winchester, Mass.) paced Suffolk with 15 points while junior Sam Nwadike (Houston, Texas) added 13 points, four rebounds and four steals in the setback for the Rams.
The two teams traded baskets early before JWU used a 19-9 run, capped by a layup by Lucas to put the Wildcats ahead 28-18 with 7:11 left in the first half. Suffolk responded, however and cut the lead to just one point on a layup by Nwadike, making the score 33-32 with 2:41 remaining in the stanza. JWU took the 42-37 lead heading into the locker room at halftime. The Wildcats shot 60.0% (15-of-25) from the field in the half.
JWU continued to build on its lead throughout the second half before cruising to the 86-61 win. The Wildcats held a 26-10 advantage in points from the paint and shot an impressive 59.6% (31-of-52) from the field. JWU also had a 43-42 advantage in rebounds in the contest.
With the victory JWU improves to 8-4 overall and 4-1 in the GNAC while Suffolk falls to 5-7 on the season and 2-3 in league play. The Wildcats will return to action on Saturday, January 11thwhen they host Rivier in a GNAC contest at 1:00 p.m.
(Story courtesy of Johnson & Wales University Sports Information)