Men’s Basketball: AMCATS Upended by Wildcats, 72-63
| Final | 1 | 2 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Anna Maria (8-10, 6-5 GNAC) | 26 | 37 | 63 |
|
Johnson & Wales (RI) (13-5, 9-2 GNAC) | 43 | 29 | 72 |
Providence, R.I. – Sophomore Robert Lewis (Baltimore, Md.) scored a game-high 18 points and added nine rebounds to lead the Johnson & Wales University men's basketball squad to a 72-63 victory over Anna Maria in a Great Northeast Athletic Conference contest at the Wildcat Center on Saturday afternoon.
Senior Esaie Touze (Providence, R.I.) tallied a double-double with 16 points and 10 rebounds while fellow senior Curtis Lucas (Providence, R.I.) added 14 points and three assists. Sophomore Quarry Greenaway (Westchester, N.Y.) rounded out the double-figure scorers for JWU with 12 points and five rebounds in the victory.
Senior Joseph Barillo (Dania Beach, Fla.) paced Anna Maria with 15 points, three assists and two rebounds while senior Quantez Franklin (West Yarmouth, Mass.) added 13 points and three rebounds for the AMCats. Sophomore Tyler Delorey (Worcester, Mass.) was also in double-figures with 10 points and three boards in the setback.
Johnson & Wales grabbed control early and took its first double-figure lead when a jumper by sophomore Tom Garrick (Seekonk, Mass.) made the score 20-10 with 9:25 left in the first half. The Wildcats built on their advantage throughout the stanza and took the 43-26 lead heading into the locker room at halftime. Lewis tallied 12 first half points for JWU and the Wildcats had a commanding 14-5 advantage in rebounds for the half.
The Wildcats led by as many as 22 points after a layup by Touze made the score 48-26 with 18:00 remaining in the contest. Anna Maria chipped away at the lead and pulled within eight (58-50) on a pair of free throws by Delorey with 6:29 remaining. The AMCats trailed by eight several times late in the contest, but couldn't get any closer as JWU held on for the 72-63 victory.
With the win Johnson & Wales improves to 14-5 overall and 10-2 in league play while Anna Maria falls to 8-11 on the season and 6-6 in the GNAC. The AMCATS will return to action on Wednesday, February 5th when they host Albertus Magnus for a GNAC contest starting at 7:00 p.m.
