December 1, 2007
13 Is a Lucky Number As Eagles Honor Lewis and Finally Tame Wilcats, 74-68

Nashua – 13 turned out to be a lucky number for the Daniel Webster men’s basketball team on David Lewis Day.

Behind a perfect shooting day (6 of 6 from the field) from Arjok Guguai (Manchester, N.H. / West) and two huge three pointers from both Guguai and Tim Jackson (W. Henrietta, N.Y.), the host Eagles snapped a 13-game losing streak to Johnson & Wales dating back to December of 2000 with a 74-68 victory Saturday at Vagge Gymnasium.

The victory was dedicated to former Eagle David H. Lewis ’96 who was honored posthumously in a pre game ceremony that included his wife Joy, children Jared and Faith, former Eagle Head Coach Richard Whitmore, college dignitaries including College President Skip Myers, as well as former teammates.

The ceremony included the presentation of Lewis's framed number 44 jersey that he wore during his four seasons at DWC.

The Eagles (3-2, 1-0) put forth a stirring comeback for the second straight time, pulling out of an eight point halftime hole shooting 54% from the field in the second half. The game resembled Tuesday night's 80-75 victory over Anna Maria in which the Eagles climbed out of another eight point halftime deficit, shooting better than 50% in the second half after a tough opening stanza.

DWC also withstood a sparkling 30-point performance from Wildcat guard Japhet Kerr (Mt. Kisco, N.Y.), who shot an eye catching 15 of 18 at the line, keeping Johnson & Wales in the game down the stretch.

Offensive distribution was key for DWC, as 11 different players contributed points and only two Eagles hit for double figures – Guguai and Jackson with 11. Brian Inge (Forth Washington, Md.) and Steve Savage (Salem, N.H.) kicked in with eight points each, while Chris Voukides (Salem, N.H.) and Chris Hanson (Salem, Mass.) added six apiece.

Tirone McCray (Brockton, Mass.) was the only other player to reach double figures for the Wildcats (1-1, 0-1 GNAC). He finished with 16 and added three steals. Greg Samuels (Philadelphia, Pa.) chipped in with eight points and a game high 11 boards.

Kerr was a one man show in much of the first half, knocking down 5 of 7 with a trey as part of 18 points and the Wildcats earned an important 22-16 advantage on the boards.

But the Eagles developing depth was a factor in the second, and for the second straight outing, the Eagles shooting vastly improved in the second stanza from 32 percent to 54, while the team defense cooled the Wildcats from 40 percent in the first to 33 percent in the second.

Down by eight at 36-28 early in the second, DWC climbed back with a 10-2 run keyed by treys from Hanson and Savage and the teams would trade 15 lead changes and forge six ties over the final 15 minutes.

Kerr jumper in the late put the Wildcats up 62-61 with 3:03 left, but a Jackson layup put the hosts back ahead by one with 2:07 to go. After a McCray miss, Jackson followed with a huge three pointer with 1:51 to go and after a Kerr miss, Guguai nailed another three for a seven point lead with 1:23 to go.

A Darren Faust (Queens, N.Y.) jumper (6 points on the day) and two freebies from Kerr with 50 seconds left cut the lead to 71-68, but Guguai followed with a free throw and Johnson & Wales couldn’t convert on their final two possessions.

DWC is back in action next Saturday when they travel to St. Joseph’s College in Standish, Maine for a 3:00 p.m. matchup.

Johnson & Wales visits Rhode Island College Monday at 7:30 p.m.