Apprentice Defeats JWU for First Time in Program History

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – For the first time in program history, the Apprentice School men’s basketball team defeated Johnson & Wales Saturday afternoon 84-65.

The game was never in question as the Builders (15-4 overall, 3-1 NSAC) jumped out quickly to a 23-13 lead eight minutes in. From there, Apprentice continued to hit shots while forcing 24 Wildcat turnovers on the day to lead by as many as 28 points with six minutes to go.

The win over the Wildcats (8-9) puts Apprentice as winners of 10 of the last 11, one of the best stretches of games in program history.

Apprentice is ranked number one in USCAA Division 1, while JWU is ranked 11th in Division 2.

Adrion Wall led the way for the Builders with 17 points, including three made threes. Kurij Harrell added 15 off the bench, while Kelby Saunders, Jr. had 13, including three shots from distance of his own. Donovan Means had six steals, marking the 39th time in program history a player has had six or more steals in a game.

The two sides had met eight times prior to Saturday, including multiple matchups as part of the former Eastern States Athletic Conference. Seven of the previous eight matchups were decided by single digits.

The Builders will next hit the road to take on USCAA D1 5th-ranked Manor on Saturday at 1 p.m.

Story courtesy Walker McCrary/Apprentice Athletics; Photo by Clay Banks on Unsplash