BOSTON – Suffolk men's basketball used a strong second-half to secure a Conference of New England (CNE) victory over Johnson & Wales , 73-46, on Saturday afternoon at Larry E. and Michael S. Smith Court on Saturday afternoon.

The Rams outscored the Wildcats 43-25 in the second half, which included a 18-0 stretch, to secure the crucial conference contest.  

THE BASICS
SCORE: Suffolk 73 |Johnson & Wales 46
RECORDS: Suffolk (8-6, 4-1 CNE) | Johnson & Wales (1-13, 0-5 CNE)

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Offense was scarce in the opening stages as both teams combined for nine turnovers over the first 8:57 of play with Johnson & Wales holding a slim 12-11 edge.
• Defense continued to dictate the tempo as head coach Jeff Juron called a timeout with 4:39 remaining as Suffolk clung to a 20-18 lead. The Rams closed the half on a 10-0 run, sparked by three-point makes from James Jones and Harrison Neil, to build a 28-18 advantage. A late triple from Silas Sawtelle trimmed the margin to 30-21 at the break.
• Johnson & Wales cut the deficit to five, 34-29, at the 15:38 mark of the second half, but six straight points from Neil restored Suffolk's nine-point cushion and forced a Wildcats timeout.
• Suffolk then erupted for a decisive 18-0 run to push the lead to 58-31 behind seven points from Neil and six from Greg Keane.
• The teams traded baskets the rest of the way as Suffolk comfortably closed out a 73-46 victory.

STATISTICALLY SPEAKING

• Neil dropped 17 points on 5-of-9 shooting including 2-of-3 from the three-point line to go with four rebounds and two assists.
• Keane shot an efficient 7-of-10 to bring his total to 14 points and secured three blocks.
• James Jones added 11 points to pair with seven rebounds as Nick Verdile trailed with ten points, four rebounds, and four assists.
• Hatcher Nordquist played the role of maestro with a team-high six assists.
• Suffolk shot 56.6 percent from the field and held the Wildcats to 32.7 percent, while forcing 16 turnovers.
• Suffolk held a 37-27 margin in total rebounds and a 20-7 margin in team assists.
• The blue-and-gold relied on 28 bench points to fuel the second half run.
• The Rams outscored the Wildcats in the paint 48-18.

NOTEWORTHY 

• Suffolk and JWU met for the 45th time and the first since January 29, 2020 when the teams were both members of the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC).
• The Rams moved to 15-30 in the all-time series.
• The win was the blue-and-gold's first over JWU since Jan. 12, 2019, which was a 77-67 decision. 
• Suffolk is now an even 11-11 all time in Boston against the Wildcats.
• Juron secured his second win over JWU, now sitting at 2-10 against the Wildcats.
• Connor Strickland pulled down a personal-best eight rebounds.
• Nordquist dished out a career-high six assists.
• Matthew Amarante notched career highs in points (4), and field goals made (2).
• Ashton Wittingham's two assists were a collegiate best.
• Jones and Neil each tied career bests with two steals each.

WHAT'S NEXT?
Suffolk remains home Wednesday, Jan. 14 when it welcomes Roger Williams to Title Town for a 7:30 p.m. tip-off.