Wildcats Win Battle of the Undefeated 101-68 in GNAC Men's Hoops

NEWTON, Mass. (2/3/16) – The No. 17 Wildcats of Johnson and Wales University handed the Lasell men's basketball team their first conference loss of the season 101-68 in Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) action Wednesday evening in the Athletic Center. The Lasers shift to 15-5 overall and 12-1 in the GNAC, while the Wildcats climb to 19-1 on the year and remain unbeaten in league play at 13-0.

STAT LEADERS FOR LASELL

Senior forward Pat Marchand (Cranston, R.I.) led the charge for the Lasers with a monster double-double of 18 points and 16 rebounds. Marchand went 8-for-12 from the floor to go along with a perfect 2-for-2 performance from the charity stripe. Junior guard Armin Omanovic (Wilkesboro, N.C.) threw down a team-best 28 points highlighted by an 11-of-12 performance from the free throw line.

STAT LEADERS FOR JWU

Senior guard Quarry Greenaway (Westchester, N.Y.) became the fifth player in GNAC history to reach the 2,000 point milestone with a game-high 32 point performance. Greenaway dominated the floor with 11-of-19 shooting to go along with 3-of-4 shots made from downtown, while also registering seven boards, three assists, and three steals. Three additional Wildcats scored in double-digits in the victory, as senior Tom Garrick (Seekonk, Mass.) followed Greenaway with 29 points and six rebounds. Sophomore Jarrell Lawson (Providence, R.I.) came off the bench to score 14 points, while sophomore Michael Kiser (Pike Road, Ala.) rounded out the double-digit scoring with 10 points.

HOW IT HAPPENED

In the opening minutes of play, the Lasers survived the Wildcats with two deadlocks via a deep three pointer from sophomore guard Scott Arsenault (Walpole, Mass.). A layup from Marchand gave the Lasers the 7-5 advantage for the time being, however the Wildcats turned a 7-0 run to double up the score, 14-7 with 16:00 left on the game clock. A freebie from senior forward Logan Liberty (Duxbury, Vt.)  put Lasell within the one-possession deficit 22-19, where JWU then went on a pivotal 15-0 stretch to lead 37-19.

While the Lasers doubled up on their scoring from the first half, Johnson and Wales used 51.4% shooting from the field and 45.5% shooting from three-point-range to run away with the contest for a 101-65 final.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

Overall, the Lasers shot 40% from the floor and three-point range, while the Wildcats owned a 52.8% field goal percentage. Greenaway helped the Wildcats to a 41 rebound performance to Lasell's 34, and scored 34 points on the transition from the Lasers' turnovers.

WHAT'S NEXT

Both teams return to GNAC action on Saturday, February 5 as the Lasers host another crucial contest against Albertus Magnus College with tip-off slated for 4:00 p.m. The Wildcats will return to Providence for a 1:00 p.m. contest against the AMCATS of Anna Maria.