Men’s Basketball Drops 80-75 Decision Against Maine-Fort Kent

The men's basketball team dropped an 80-75 decision against the University of Maine-Fort Kents in a non-conference contest at the Harborside RAC on Saturday afternoon.

Johnson & Wales was led by senior Lamonte Thomas (Providence, R.I.) with 21 points, eight assists and six rebounds while junior David Storti (Exeter, R.I.) added 17 points, seven boards and three steals in the setback for the Wildcats.

Maine-Fort Kent junior Jeremy Thomas (Detroit, Mich.) led all scorers for the game with 28 points, seven rebounds and three steals while senior Manny Odugbela (Providence, R.I.) added 21 points and four rebounds in the win for the Bengals.

Johnson & Wales jumped out to the early 8-2 lead after a jumper by junior Matt Williams (Mt. Kisco, N.Y.) at the 15:49 mark.  Maine-Fort Kent responded with an 11-4 run, capped by a three-pointer by junior Pablo Llamas (Leon, Spain) with 10:51 left in the first half.  The two teams then traded baskets with JWU leading 16-15 with 7:28 left in the stanza.  The Wildcats controlled the action down the stretch and closed out the half on a 16-10 run to take the 31-25 lead into the locker room at halftime.

The visiting Bengals opened the second half with a 14-1 run, capped by a layup by Odugbela to take a 39-32 lead with 17:40 remaining.  JWU replied with a 18-11 run of their own and tied the game 50-50 on a three pointer by Thomas with 9:38 on the clock.  Maine Fort Kent then used a 10-5 run and took the 60-55 lead on a three-point play by Llamas with just over five minutes remaining in regulation.  JWU was able to cut the lead to 70-67 on a three-pointer by Thomas with 1:28 left, but it was not enough as the Bengals hit seven free throws down the stretch en route to the 80-75 victory.

With the setback JWU is now 2-8 for the season while Maine-Fort Kent improves to 7-5 on the season.  The Wildcats will return to action on Tuesday, January 10^th when they travel to Emerson for a Great Northeast Athletic Conference contest, starting at 7:00 p.m.