Charlotte, NC - The JWU Men's Basketball Team started February the same way they ended January, taking down another EMAC rival. The Wildcats hosted The Apprentice School on Saturday, downing the Builders 88-80.

Highlights:

• The Wildcats entered the game ranked #1 in USCAA D2, and The Apprentice School is ranked #7 in USCAA D1.
• The game featured 5 ties and 10 lead changes.
• TAS had their largest lead of the day, 20-13, with 7:49 to play in the first half, but JWU went on a 6-0 run to close the gap to 1.
• A back and forth first half ended with the Wildcats leading 38-37.
• With 14 minutes remaining, the Wildcats went on an 10-2 run to extend their lead to 61-50, their largest lead of the day.
• The Builders drew within 5 points, but never any closer as JWU claimed the win with the 88-80 victory.
• JWU shot 43.8% from the field while holding TAS to 38.7%.
• The Wildcats shot 11 of 12 from the free throw line.
• The rebounding battle was close as JWU held a 44-42 advantage.
• The Builders' bench outscored the JWU bench, 27-12.
• JWU outscored the visitors 40-30 on points in the paint and 15-12 on second chance points.
• The big advantage in the game came on points off turnovers. The Wildcats scored 22 points from 18 Builder turnovers compared to 11 points for TAS off of 15 JWU turnovers.
• Majerle Poole scored 26 points, had 8 rebounds, and 4 steals.
• Robert Hobson had 21 points, including 3 three-pointers.
• Antonio Smith scored 12 points, grabbed 7 rebounds, and collected 5 blocks.
• Malik Bullock secured 8 rebounds to accompany his 8 points.
• The win moves JWU to 17-3 on the season and 4-0 in EMAC play.

From The Coach:

"It was not pretty, but I'm impressed with our group as they continue to figure out ways to win games," commented JWU Head Coach Dan Larkin. "Part of growing as a team is going through some of those ugly games and figuring out how to be successful together when we're not hitting shots." 

Up Next:

The Wildcats will play at Regent University on Tuesday, February 4th at 7:30 pm.