Johnson & Wales Cruising Past Norwich, Wildcats Tie School Record With 12th Straight Win

Johnson & Wales University Press Release

PROVIDENCE, RI – Sometimes the final score doesn’t tell the whole story. For the opening 22 minutes on Saturday, Norwich gave the Johnson & Wales University men’s basketball team all it could handle, but the Wildcats found their offense and rolled to an 84-48 victory to tie the longest winning streak in school history.

Records:
Johnson & Wales: 12-1, 6-0 GNAC
Norwich: 3-10, 0-6 GNAC 

JWU Statistical Leaders:
Quarry Greenaway: 26 points, 11 rebounds, 12-of-15 FT
Tom Garrick: 22 points, 8 rebounds, 3 steals
Anthony Jernigan: 10 points, 5 assists, 7 steals

The Lead:
It’s been nearly two months since the Wildcats lost a game. After losing their season opener, 80-74, versus Linfield at NWC Tipoff Clasic hosted by Lewis & Clark, Johnson & Wales has rattled off 12-straight wins. The streak matches the 2013-14 squad for the best run in school history.

Of Note:
Struggling to hit from the outside against the Cadets’ zone defense, the Wildcats were limited to 32 points in the first half, their lowest total since Albertus Magnus held JWU to 31 on February 14, 2015. Johnson & Wales shot 11.8 percent (2-of-17) from behind the arc in the first 20 minutes.

A Mike Hogervorst jumper two minutes into the second half pulled NC within eight, 32-24. From there, the Wildcats went on 16-2 run to open a 22-point advantage, 48-26, on a Quarry Greenaway (Westchester, NY) free throw. The lead grew to as many as 38, 84-46, on a Tom Garrick (Seekonk, Mass.) dunk.

For the second game in a row, Johnson & Wales forced 30-plus turnovers as Norwich turned the ball over 32 times. Twenty-three of those miscues were the result of Wildcat steals. JWU equaled its season-high with 23 swipes.

Posting his second double-double in a row, and third in the last four games, was Greenaway. He led all players with 23 points and a season-high 14 rebounds.

Posting his first career double-double was junior Anthony Jernigan (East Hartford, Conn.). The CCRI transfer scored 11 points and dished out 10 assists. The NCAA leader in steals, he also had six swipes.

For the first time since JWU’s first win of the year, five different Wildcats reached double figures. Scoring a career-high 16 points, including 6-for-6 from the line, was sophomore Michael Kiser (Pike Road, Ala.). Next was Garrick with 14 points and six rebounds as well as a career-high six steals. Jarell Lawson (Providence, RI) came off the bench to chip in 11.

Two Cadets reached double figures, topped by Ryan Booth’s 16 points. Jimmy Warden was next with a baker’s dozen.

Up Next:
Johnson & Wales will try to break the win-streak record on Wednesday when it hosts rival Albertus Magnus at 7 p.m. on Wednesday. The Falcons have won four of the last five GNAC titles.