Charlotte, NC -- After an intense lead-in in the women's game, tonight's matchup between Penn State -- Fayette and Johnson & Wales looked to be very exciting.  Unfortunately, the Wildcats could not get into a comfortable rhythm on offense and committed uncharacteristic turnovers en route to a 90-74 defeat at the hands of the Roaring Lions.

The Wildcats only trailed by 3 points at halftime after 7 lead changes and 5 ties throughout the first half.  However, forced shots, easy transition points for Penn State -- Fayette, and turnovers allowed the Roaring Lions to slowly build a lead.  5 minutes into the second half, Fayette jumped out to a 9-point lead, leading Coach Casciano to call a timeout to discuss some missed opportunities for the Wildcats.  JWU was able to close the gap to 6 points at the 13:36 mark following a Thiago Conceicao basket and a free throw from Caleb Mercer.  Penn State -- Fayette continued its steady play while controlling the tempo and using great ball movement to lead by 15 points with 6:25 left to play. The Wildcats pulled back within 12 points on a Caleb Mercer lay-up with just over 2 minutes to play, but Penn State -- Fayette responded with a final push to finish the game with a 8-4 run to push the deficit to 16.

JWU (2-1) was led by Nick Crawford with a double-double of 16 points and 10 rebounds.  Thiago Conceicao (13), Joshua Cohen (10), and Caleb Mercer (10) were the other Wildcats in double-figure scoring for the evening.  The Wildcats will take a four-day rest before hosting Montreat College on November 13 at 7:30 PM.  They then will host Mid-Atlantic Christian University on Saturday, November 15 for a doubleheader with the women's team.  On Saturday, wear your bowtie or receive one at the game to participate in the Department of Athletics' tribute to President Gallagher and all he has done for the development of varsity sports at JWU.  The men's team will play at 2:00 PM with the women's game to follow at 4:00 PM.  President Gallagher will address the crowd before the 4:00 PM game.