WILLIMANTIC, Conn. – After suffering a 21-point defeat at the hands of Worcester State University on Saturday, Eastern Connecticut State University men's basketball returned home to face Johnson & Wales University in Geissler Gymnasium on Tuesday night. Coming into the game, the two teams had split their previous four head-to-head matchups with each team winning two games on their home court. Looking to make it 3-0 at home against the Wildcats (1-2), the Warriors (3-3) got off to a fast start and never looked back, en route to an 88-46 victory to get back to .500 heading into Thanksgiving Break.
 
    Eastern would begin the game on a 10-0 run spearheaded by two three pointers from senior guards Cory Muckle (Westbrook) and Tyreice Woods (Hartford) along with a layup by junior forward Quinton Lott (Bridgeport). Senior forward Bryan Davis broke the 0-for-5 shooting start for Johnson & Wales with a layup at the 15:49 mark to bring the Wildcats within eight, but that would be the smallest deficit they would face against the Warriors. After a pair of free throws from senior guard Justin Bullock pulled Johnson & Wales within eight again, Eastern would use another big run to take control of the first half and rest of the game.
 
    Using an 11-0 run through the middle part of the first half, the Warriors opened up a 19-point advantage over the Wildcats after senior guard Thomas Close (East Hampton) nailed a three with 6:41 left in the first half to put Eastern in front 25-6. Over the final 6 ½ minutes, Eastern would allow just five more points on defense and head into the locker room with a 36-11 lead. The Warriors would lead by as many as 50 points with 3:48 remaining in the game after sophomore forward Andrew Cutter (Trumbull) hit the front end of two free throws as Eastern cruised to a 42-point win, 88-46.
 
    Sophomore guard Max Lee (Norwich) finished the game with a career high 13 assists to go along with four rebounds and two steals in 28 minutes.
 
    Cory Muckle, Thomas Close, and Tyreice Woods all finished in double figures with Muckle (7-for-17 shooting) and Close (7-for-9 shooting) recording 18 points and Woods (7-for-9 shooting) adding 17 points to the team's season-high 88 points on the evening.
 
    First-year forward Sheriff Bilewu (Waterbury) saw his first action as a Warrior, playing two minutes and recording his first career steal and rebound.
 
    Andrew Cutter recorded his first career steal to go along with his first career points, finishing with three points in five minutes played.
 
    Sophomore guards Zak Cunningham (East Haddam) and Anthony Beasley (Hartford) made their second appearances of the season, playing four minutes and two minutes respectively. Cunningham recorded a block while Beasley recorded two shot attempts.
 
    Eastern will look to win their second straight game as they play their second of four games on the homestand against Connecticut College on Sunday, November 28^th at Geissler Gymnasium. Tip-off is scheduled for 5:00 PM. The Warriors have won their last three matchups against the Camels, most recently winning 81-66 on the road during the 2019-2020 season. In the last game at Geissler Gymnasium between the two teams, Eastern defeated Connecticut College, 93-70 to improve to 9-3 at home against the Camels.