JWU (FL) STEALS LATE WIN FROM MEN'S HOOPS, 73-72

NORTH MIAMI, Fla.  – A steal by Gino Fils-Aime as time expired sealed a 73-72 win for the Johnson & Wales Univeristy (FL) men's basketball team (4-12) over the Emmanuel College Saints (1-10) on Wednesday afternoon.

The win snapped a three-game losing skid for the Wildcats and marked the team's final non-conference matchup of the season. In a contest which saw 11 lead changes and had the scored tied six times, JWU took its final lead of the game, 73-72, on a layup by Fils-Aime with under a minute to play. The Saints took two shots both by Joe Tamburro, missing a 3-pointer and a jump shot which was blocked by Isa Brandon with 11 seconds on the clock.  Following a 30-second timeout by JWU, Fils-Aime deflected a cross-court pass for the one-point Wildcat victory.

Fils-Aime led all Wildcats with 21 points on 6-of-11 shooting from the floor, including three-treys. The 20-point outing was the second-straight for the native of Miami and his fourth of the season. Joining Fils-Aime in double-digit scoring was Brandon, who posted 18 points on 8-of-15 shooting. The native of Chesterfield, England, notched his seventh double-double of the season, grabbing a game-high 12 boards. He also notched a game-high four blocked shots. Majuan Bates led JWU with a career-high eight assists.

The Wildcats shot 43.3 percent from the floor (26-of-60) versus Emmanuel and went 9-of-27 from beyond the arc (33.3 percent). The Saints finished the afternoon shooting 29-of-63 (46.0 percent) from the floor and were 4-of-18 from downtown (22.2 percent). JWU was out-rebounded, 46-26, in the contest but forced 16 Saint turnovers, resulting in 22 points for the Wildcats.    

Tamburro finished with a game-high 22 points for the Saints while sophomore guard Emmett Riddick added 16 points and a team-high eight rebounds.

The Wildcats travel to West Palm Beach, Florida, to take on Sun Conference foe Keiser University on Saturday, Jan. 6. Tipoff is slated for 4:00 p.m. Emmanuel returns to action on Tuesday, Jan. 9 when they play host to Regis College in Great Northeast Athletic Conference action.

*Release courtesy of JWU (FL) Athletic Communications