Box Score Charlotte, NC -- The JWU men's basketball team started their season with authority as they took on Crown College in their home opener before a capacity crowd in the Student Center. The Wildcats never trailed, but the visitors looked competitive early in the contest. JWU held a 14–8 lead six minutes into the game before going on a 10–2 run to expand the gap to 24-10 and never looked back. The defensive pressure exerted by JWU took its toll on the Royal Crusaders. The half ended with JWU easily in charge, holding a commanding 58–25 lead.
The second half saw Crown able to attack the basket and draw fouls from the Wildcats, but the Wildcat lead was too much to overcome. Despite a 25-point performance from Crown's Josh Farmer, including going 4-4 from the 3-point arc, Crown was never able to come any closer than 22 points in the second half en route to the 100–71 loss.
Sophomore Rickey Porter was one of five players to score in double figures for the Wildcats on 11–13 shooting from the field. He scored 24 points and had a game-high 7 rebounds. Thiago Conceicao scored 17, Joshua Cohen added 16, Nick Crawford tallied 13, and DeQuincey Bennett chipped in 12 for the Wildcats.
The win marked the first time in school history that the Wildcats won their season home opener and was the first win for new head coach Jim Casciano. The men will be back in action on Friday, November 7th in the JWU Classic against St Joseph's College of Vermont. Game time is 9:00 PM.
