Posted: Jan 12, 2011
PROVIDENCE, RI- In Great Northeast Athletic Conference men's basketball action, Johnson & Wales University pulled out an 85-74 victory against Lasell College at the Harborside Recreation Center on Tuesday evening.
The Wildcats were paced by junior guard, and NCAA Division III leading scorer, Lamonte Thomas (Providence, RI) who scored 30 points, grabbed 10 rebounds, and distributed seven assists. Senior Darren Faust (Queens, NY) chipped in with 10 points, five rebounds, and three assists while senior Louis Ferreras (Providence, RI) produced 12 points and eight boards for the victors.
Lasell's junior forward Javon Williams (Mattapan, MA) came up with a game-high 33 point performance to go along with nine rebounds and three steals. Sophomore guard Sean Bertanza (Seymour, CT) added 18 points, six boards, four assists and three steals and freshman forward Zachary Campbell (Cape Coral, FL) notched 10 points, seven rebounds, and four blocks for the Lasers.
Johnson & Wales picked up an early advantage and held a seven point edge (13-6) just five minutes into the contest. Lasell recouped with a 12-0 run to come upon an 18-13 lead after a jumper by Williams with 10:18 left in the first half. The Lasers pushed their lead to 11 points after a Williams trifecta with two minutes left in the period. The Wildcats cut the gap to a six point deficit before the squads broke for the half, 35-29.
In the second frame, Johnson & Wales slowly chipped away at the Lasers' lead and eventually went ahead, 51-49, on a James Folk (Salem, NH) layup with nine minutes remaining. The Wildcats then fired off a 22-5 run to take a 72-54 lead with under four minutes left to play. Lasell managed to cut the lead to just eight points down the stretch, but that was as close as the Lasers would get and the Wildcats secured their first conference victory of the season.
The triumph improves Johnson & Wales' record to 6-5 overall and 1-2 in the GNAC while Lasell drops to a 2-8 overall slate and a 1-3 league record. Lasell will entertain Emerson College in their next conference game on Thursday, January 13th, at 7:00 p.m. in the Athletic Center.