BRISTOL, R.I. – The Roger Williams University Men's Basketball team came away with a 63-53 victory Monday evening over local rival Johnson & Wales University in the team's season opener.

Despite giving up 25 points on 29 turnovers in the game, the Hawks overcame its possession woes with defense and deft shooting, as RWU hit 54.8% of its shots from the field while holding the Wildcats to a 34.4 shooting percentage in the game. The Hawk bench also contributed heavily in the game, outscoring JWU's reserves 24-5.

The contest opened with a tightly contested battle between both teams, with four lead changes and one tie in the first nine minutes of the game. A layup by James Folk (Salem, N.H.) at the 11:28 mark of the first half helped spark a 9-0 Wildcat run, as JWU took a 20-10 lead with under nine minutes to play in the period.

Lamonte Thomas would later drain a three to give the Wildcats its largest lead, a 28-15 advantage with 5:17 to play in the period. From that point, the Hawks would came back strong, storming out on a 12-0 run, capped off by a trey by Gary Madison (Waterbury, Conn.), to pull within one and ultimately go into the break trailing by two.

In the second half, a Pat Flanagan (Somerville, Mass.) jumper helped seal a 13-4 Hawk run in the opening five minutes to put RWU on top 41-34. The Hawk lead would then hover between seven and ten over most of the remainder of the half before Johnson & Wales made it a 46-50 game with just under five minutes to play. Yet a 7-1 Hawk run in less than two minutes brought the Hawk lead back to double digits, as the Hawks closed out the game and held on for the win.

Three Hawks reached double figures in scoring, including Matt Clifford (Norwood, Mass.) who registered a team-high 16 points with a steal and a pair of rebounds. Corey Fava (Aliso Viejo, Calif.) added 14 points and four assists, while Madison finished with ten and six boards.

Thomas scored a game-high 25 points for Johnson & Wales, while Calvin Jones (Providence, R.I.) added eight points and six rebounds. Louis Ferreras chipped in with eight points and four steals.

Roger Williams (1-0) hosts Medgar Evers College Friday at 6:00 p.m. in its annual RWU/Courtyard by Marriott Classic, while Johnson & Wales (0-1) has the next two weeks off and won't play until November 30, when the Wildcats host Rhode Island College.