The Johnson & Wales Men's Basketball Team lost a tough game to Penn State Mont Alto Friday night in the USCAA Division II National Semifinals to end their best season in program history.  Despite jumping out to an 11-0 lead in the opening minutes, the Wildcats could not withstand the late push from the Lions to overtake the game and earn a spot in the finals.  JWU ends its first winning season with a 20-11 record and a very promising future for the years to come.  JWU Athletics and JWU fans are proud of our Wildcats and look forward to watching the program's growth in the future.

***Recap below courtesy of the USCAA***

FINAL SCORE: #4 Johnson & Wales (NC) 50, #9 Penn State Mont Alto 59
RECORDS: Johnson & Wales (NC) 20-10; Penn State Mont Alto (18-12)
LOCATION: Penn State Fayette Main Arena Gymnasium, Uniontown, Pa.

IN BRIEF: A late second half rally by the ninth-seeded Penn State Mont Alto earned them an upset win and a spot in the 2015 USCAA Men's Division II National Championships. They will await the second-seeded Berkeley College (NY).

ON THE COURT

• Johnson & Wales (NC) jumped out of the gates strong going on an 11-0 run in the first 5 minutes.
• The Wildcats kept their lead the majority of the first half. They would head into halftime holding a 7-point advantage (23-30).
• Penn State Mont Alto came to compete in the second half cutting the Wildcats lead to just 2 with 15:26 remaining in the game courtesy of the Devonte Merritt's offensive contributions.
• The Wildcats created some distance from their opponent once again, extending their lead to 8. David Bargamento played a huge part in the run, chipping in a 3-pointer and a free throw.
• Once again Penn State Mont Alto bounced back thanks in large part to Corey Edwards's pair of free throws and made layup. The resilient team from the PSUAC eventually tied the game up at 40 with 10:20 remaining in the second half. 
• The lead would be taken and extended to 6 by Penn State Mont Alto. Jeremiah Mitchell contributed a jump shot and made layup during the run. 
• The Lions would not relinquish the lead from then on.
• Johnson & Wales (NC)'s leading scorer and 2015 USCAA All-American Honorable Mention Rickey Porter fouled out with 3:45 remaining in the game.
• Theophile Remy would finish the Wildcats off, hitting 5 of 6 free throws down the stretch.

BEHIND THE BOXSCORE

• 2015 USCAA All-American Honorable Mention Rickey Porter led all scorers with 16 points (7-12 FG). 
• The only other player to reach double digit figures for the Wildcats was junior guard Joshua Cohen.
• Johnson & Wales shot 35 percent from the field while Penn State Mont Alto shot 44 percent.
• Penn State Mont Alto finished with 3 players in double figures; Sharif Welton (11) Corey Meyers (10) and Jeremiah Mitchell (15).  
• 2015 USCAA Honorable Mention All-American Devonte Merritt finished with 10 points and one rebound shy of a double-double. 
• Penn State Mont Alto led the rebounding stat category (41-32).
• Both teams finished shooting 58 percent from the free throw line.

NEXT UP

Ninth-seeded Penn State Mont Alto earned their first ever USCAA Basketball National Championship appearance. They will battle against the second-seeded Berkeley College (NY) on Saturday, March 7th. Johnson & Wales (NC) ends their first winning season with a 20-11 record.