PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Thanks to its best shooting night of the season, Regis College defeated Johnson & Wales, 81-66, Tuesday night in a Great Northeast Athletic Conference men's basketball game at the Wildcat Center.
Five players reached double figures in scoring for the Pride, led by Marc Trinidad (Bronx, N.Y.) with 19 points and six rebounds. Jalil Wilkerson (New Haven, Conn.) scored all 15 of his points in the first half as Regis established a seven-point halftime advantage, while Justin Evelyn (Uniondale, N.Y.) finished with 14 points, four rebounds, and four assists.
Joshua Perez (Lynn, Mass.) scored 11 points off the bench, Cameron Wilkins (Taunton, Mass.) contributed 10 points, five rebounds, and three steals, and Zakaria Latifi (Holliston, Mass.) hit three three-pointers to add nine points. As a team, the Pride shot 50.9 percent (29-for-57) from the field, including 12-for-20 from behind the three-point line, and 73.3 percent (11-for-15) from the free throw line.
In a first half featuring a series of runs, Johnson & Wales jumped out to a 9-2 lead and maintained that advantage after a layup by Bryan Davis. Wilkerson hit consecutive three-pointers and a layup during a 10-3 Pride run that tied the game at 19-19, but the Wildcats responded with eight unanswered points to retake the lead at 27-19 with eight minutes left in the first half.
The Pride took the lead for good thanks to a 14-2 scoring stretch featuring two three-pointers from Latifi as well as one from Evelyn. After a three-pointer by Aireus Raspberry brought the Wildcats within one at 35-34, Regis closed the half with an 11-5 scoring run to pull ahead at halftime, 46-39.
In the second half, Regis extended its lead to 15 points thanks to a 10-2 scoring run over a six-minute span, punctuated by a Latifi three-pointer. After an 8-2 Pride run capped by a traditional three-point play from Trinidad, Johnson & Wales made one final push with eight straight points to close to within nine at 69-60, but Perez hit a three-pointer and converted a four-point play to put the game away for the Pride.
Johnson & Wales (6-9, 4-5 GNAC) was led by Raspberry with 18 points and Davis with a double-double of 11 points and a game-high 12 rebounds. Andre McFadden also scored 11 points as the Wildcats shot 39.7 percent (25-for-63) from the field and 81.3 percent (13-for-16) from the free throw line.
Regis College (8-8, 5-5 GNAC) will host Albertus Magnus Thursday, Feb. 3, starting at 7 p.m. at Higgins Court.