JOHNSON, VT. – The Johnson State College men's basketball team defeated UMaine-Presque Isle 66-55 in their season opener on Tuesday night at Carter Gym.

The Badgers start the season 1-0, while the Owls fall to 0-1.

1^st Half

The teams kept pace with each other through the early parts of the first half, with Johnson leading 14-9 at the 10:25 mark of the frame. After the Owls pulled the score even at 14 two minutes later, the Badgers went on a 7-0 run to take a 21-14 with five minutes left in the first. UMPI was able to claw their way back over the final minutes and trailed 30-28 going into the break. Jeyquan Johnson (Harlem, N.Y.) hit three three-pointers in the period to lead the Badger with nine points. Demetrius Slade (Washington, D.C.) chipped in six more points for Johnson in the first.

2^nd Half

The teams remained evenly matched through the opening minutes of the second half, before Johnson went on a 17-3 run to put themselves ahead 56-40 midway through the frame. The Badgers were able to keep UMPI from making a strong run at the end, leading to the 66-55 victory. Marqwon Wynn (Wilmington, Del.) and Rasul Jackson (Philadelphia, Pa.) paced the Badgers in the second half, scoring 12 and ten points, respectively.

Johnson Leaders

Wynn and Jackson led the balanced Badgers offense with 14 and 13 points, respectively. Jeyquan Johnson added 11 points and collected a team high eight rebounds off the bench.

UMPI Leaders

Kevin Collins scored a game-high 17 points and added four rebounds for the Owls. Kristijan Gavrilovski scored 14 points to lead all bench players, and also grabbed 9 boards. Ebby Kmara pulled in a game high 13 rebounds for UMPI.

Stat Breakdown

The Badgers held a 47-44 advantage in rebounds, including 12 offensive boards to UMPI'S 11. Johnson forced 20 turnovers while turning the ball over 18 times themselves. Johnson was able to take advantage of UMPI's mistakes, scoring 22 points off turnovers. Both teams struggled from beyond the arc, with Johnson holding a slight edge in 3-point percentage 25% - 24%.

Next Up

The Badgers will travel to Poughkeepsie, N.Y. this weekend for the Vassar College Tip-Off. Johnson will take on Lehman on Friday, November 18^th at 6:00 p.m.