Dezron Wilson scored 26 points, grabbed 14 rebounds, and handed out six assists in New England College's 87-76 win over Johnson State College on Saturday afternoon in the Badgers North Atlantic Conference opener. With the loss, the Badgers slide to 0-7 while NEC advances to 3-4 on the year and 1-1 in the North Atlantic Conference.

New England College saw four players score double digits, with Wilson leading all scorers pouring on 26 points and pulling down 14 boards, followed by Ricky Leonard who posted 16 points. Frantzy Georges and Cj Capilets contributed 15 and 10 points respectively.

Jordan Singleton led Johnson State with 19 points, while Rahim Bunch posted 17 points. Asim Khan notched 13 points, four assists and pulled down four boards.

Johnson and New England College traded leads throughout the first half, tying things up three separate times. Despite the back and forth, NEC pulled ahead towards the end of the first stanza closing the half ahead 47-38.

The Pilgrims turned up the heat in the second half, extending their lead to 18 at one point. New England College kept the Badgers at a safe distance for the rest of the game, sealing the 88-76 victory.

Johnson State will use the week to prepare for Thursday's 7:30pm game at Castleton, while the Pilgrims will travel to Maine Maritime on Friday for a 7:30pm tip-off.