Ray Askew (Hamden, Conn.) scored 36 points and grabbed 14 rebounds to lead the Albertus Magnus men's basketball team over Johnson & Wales (R.I.) 109-88 on Monday afternoon for their eighth-straight victory.
The Falcons dominated play against Johnson & Wales, who entered the 2011-12 season as defending Great Northeast Athletic Conference Champions. On the afternoon, the Falcons shot 59.2-percent as they hit 42 of their 71 attempts from the floor and cruised to the 21-point win.
Today's GNAC Conference win improves the Falcons' mark to 8-0 in the league standings, while they move to 13-1 on the year. The loss gives JWU its first loss in four contests, including the Wildcats' third loss in conference play.
The Falcons opened today's contest with a 7-0 run in the first 40 seconds of play. During a 9-2 opening run, Jefferson Lora (Bronx, N.Y.) scored seven of Albertus' nine points before the Falcons extended their lead to 17-6. Albertus was able to extend their lead to 20 at 39-19 with 10 minutes to go in the first half.
Askew tallied 15 points in the first half as he shot 6-of-8 from the floor after hitting his first six shot attempts. He finished the day 15-of-19 from the floor and 6-of-9 from the charity stripe.
The Falcons shot 60-percent in the first half, hitting 21 of their 35 attempts, and held JWU to a 37.1-shooting percentage in the frame.
JWU missed their first four shot attempts in the second half before a fast break layup by Lamonte Thomas. Albertus held a 20-point lead halfway through the frame and remained on top throughout the contest, extending their lead to as much as 23 with one minute to go.
Arshad Jackson (Hartford, Conn.) tallied nine assists for the Falcons, tying his season-high. He added nine points and five rebounds, while Zach Dugas (Monroe, Conn.) contributed with 12 points on 4-of-6 shooting. Darius Watson (New Britain, Conn.) scored 26 points for his ninth game of the year with 20 or more points. Lora added 15 points.
With 14 rebounds in today's contest, Askew's career tally improves to 1,033 as he is just three rebounds shy of the Albertus Magnus record of 1,036 set by Jason Crockett '98. His 36-point effort today also gives the senior 1,908 career points as he is 92 shy of the 2,000-point milestone. Tim Russell '05 is the only Falcon to score over 2,000 points as he held the all-time GNAC record of 2,234 points until Thursday night, when JWU's Lamonte Thomas surpassed his tally. Thomas finished today's game with 49 points as he shot 14-of-25 from the field and 21-of-23 from the free-throw line.
The Falcons will return to action on Saturday, Jan. 21 when they host Anna Maria in a 3:00 p.m. league battle.
