JWU Men’s Basketball Knocks Off Anna Maria, 79-54

Providence, R.I.– The Johnson & Wales University men's basketball team notched an 79-54 victory against Anna Maria in a Great Northeast Athletic Conference contest at the Harborside Recreation Center on Tuesday evening.  The win avenged a 91-87 setback against Anna Maria on the road last week.

Johnson & Wales was led by senior Lamonte Thomas (Providence, R.I.) with 22 points, eight rebounds and three assists while fellow senior Mike Harris (Providence, R.I.) had 14 points, four boards and three assists.   Junior David Storti (Exeter, R.I.) tallied 12 points, six rebounds and four blocks while junior Matt Williams (Mt. Kisco, N.Y.) notched 14 points, three steals and two assists.  Senior James Folk (Salem, N.H.) was also in double-figures with 10 points in the victory.

Junior Anthony Click (Springfield, Mass.) recorded a double-double for Anna Maria with 23 points and 11 rebounds while senior Brad Peterson (North Kingstown, R.I.) also had a double-double with 12 points and 10 caroms for the AMCATS. 

Johnson & Wales controlled the action early and took the 15-4 lead on a layup by Harris just under five minutes into the game.  Anna Maria chipped away at the lead and made the score 24-20 on a layup by freshman Hugh Daye (Worcester, Mass.) with 5:22 left in the first half.  That would be as close as the AMCATS would get, however as JWU dominated play down the stretch for the remainder of the first half to take the 47-28 lead heading into the locker room at halftime.  JWU shot 57.6% from the field for the half while forcing Anna Maria into 13 turnovers.

Anna Maria used a 13-5 run to open the second half and closed the gap to just 52-41 on a layup by freshman Michael Gorman (Methuen, Mass.) with 14:27 left on the clock.  The JWU lead would prove to be too much to overcome though as the Wildcats cruised to the 79-54 victory.

With the win Johnson & Wales improves to 6-11 overall and 5-5 in league play while Anna Maria falls to 6-10 on the season and 5-5 in the GNAC.  The AMCATS will return to action on Thursday, January 26^th when they travel to Worcester State University for an 8:00 pm contest.

Release courtesy of Johnson & Wales Sports Information Department

Photo courtesy of David Sheridan