WESTON, Mass. – The Regis College men's and women's basketball teams both face important Great Northeast Athletic Conference contests Saturday afternoon as they host Johnson & Wales University in a doubleheader, plus both games have special meaning outside the actual competition.
At halftime of the women's basketball game, the updated 1,000-point banner will be unveiled, as the name of Brittany Stone '18 has been added after she completed her Pride career as the program's all-time leading scorer. Stone, who scored 1,833 points from 2014 to 2018, will be present to participate in the special ceremony to lead off the intermission.
In the men's basketball game, the coaching staffs for both Regis and Johnson & Wales will take part in the annual Suits & Sneakers initiative sponsored by Coaches vs. Cancer. Coaches vs. Cancer is a partnership between the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) and the American Cancer Society designed to improve and save lives from cancer worldwide through fundraising and education initiatives, and wearing sneakers with their suits is one way basketball coaches across the country raise awareness about cancer education.
The Regis women's basketball team enters Saturday's game in a tie for seventh place in the GNAC standings at 2-4, part of a 6-12 overall record. So far in conference play, Katryna Veasey (Quincy, Mass.) leads the team in scoring at 11.4 points per game, while Arie Searcy (Santa Rosa, Calif.) is the top rebounder at 7.2 rebounds per game and Nikki Bitinaitis (Cromwell, Conn.) leads the way in assists with 3.5 assists per game.
Johnson & Wales is just ahead of Regis in the GNAC standings, currently sitting in sixth place with a 3-2 league mark after defeating St. Joseph (Conn.) Thursday, 75-52. Through five conference games, Ally Mishol leads the Wildcats in scoring at 15.4 points per game, thanks in large part to a three-point field goal percentage of 50 percent (16-of-32). Mishol is also averaging 7.0 rebounds per game, just behind Marissa Cottrell at 7.2 boards per game, and Dede Stevenson is averaging a team-high 4.2 assists per game in GNAC play.
This is the third meeting all-time between Regis and Johnson & Wales, with the teams splitting the previous two games. The Pride opened the 2016-17 season with a 58-55 win in Biddeford, Maine, but the Wildcats were able to defend their home court last season with a 77-68 victory in the first conference contest of the series.
On the men's side, Regis and Johnson & Wales are tied for sixth in the GNAC standings with an identical 3-2 league record as well as the same 8-11 overall mark. The Pride are looking to sweep their three-game homestand after wins over Lasell last Saturday (73-63) and Suffolk this past Tuesday (63-59).
Senior Jordan Seldon (Dorchester, Mass.) has improved his production in league competition, leading the Pride with 13.6 points and 2.0 steals per game. Juvens Dalger (City of Sunrise, Fla.) and Marc Trinidad (Bronx, N.Y.) are each averaging 6.4 rebounds per league game, while Josh Germain (Pembroke Pines, Fla.) is dishing out 4.0 assists per GNAC contest.
The Wildcats have been off since a 102-94 loss to Saint Joseph's College last Saturday. Brian Hogan-Gary is third in the GNAC in both scoring and rebounding at 22.4 points and 10.7 rebounds per game. In league games, Hogan-Gary is shooting 61.3 percent from the field as he is averaging 25.2 points and 10.6 rebounds per contest. Justin Bullock and Randall Ferdinand are scoring 12.8 points per league game, while Donovian Maxfield and Matt Madoian are contributing 12.4 points per GNAC contest.
Regis and Johnson & Wales met for the first time in history last season during the Pride's first year in the GNAC. The Wildcats won the game at home, 86-67, as Hogan-Gary shot 8-of-11 from the field to finish with 19 points, eight rebounds, three assists, four steals, and two blocked shots.
The women's basketball game is set to begin at 1 p.m., followed by the men's basketball contest at 3 p.m. As always, both games will have live stats and a live video stream for those following along away from Higgins Court.