Charlotte, NC – 16th ranked Johnson & Wales (9-18) hosted the College of Faith Saints (0-6). The Wildcats rebounded from a slow start and set a new school record for free throws made in an 83-72 win.
The Saints took an early 11-7 in the first half. The Wildcats responded with a 9-2 run to take a 16-13 lead with 9:00 left. The teams traded the lead back and forth for the next seven and a half minutes before the Wildcats finally seized control on a Nick Crawford layup with 1:31 left. JWU lead quickly ballooned to six just before the half, but a Saint bucket cut the halftime margin to four, 31-27.
A 5-0 spurt out of the lockerroom extended the Wildcat lead to 9. Sparked by 8 points from Deon Marvels, COF reeled off an 17-6 run to take a 44-42 lead with 13:35 left. JWU's offense started to click at this point. They made 10 of their 13 shots from the field and 11 of 14 free throws over the next ten minutes to take a commanding 77-55 lead with 3:50 left. The free throw barrage was part of a school record 28 made free throws on 35 attempts.The Wildcats cleared the bench at this point and coasted to the 83-72 win.
JWU was led by DeQuincey Bennett with 18 points, followed by Duane Chisholm with 15 points and 6 rebounds. Hursel Forbes and Joshua Cohen each added 15 points. The win was the 9th of the season for JWU, also a new school record, and the Wildcats improved to 8-5 at home.
The Wildcats next host Piedmont International University on Monday, February 10th. Game time is set for 7:30pm.
