Johnnie Jefferson was red-hot to open the game, scoring 12 points in the first five minutes
Box Score
BIDDEFORD, Maine -- Senior Johnnie Jefferson (Dallas, Texas) scored 12 points in the opening 4:51 and finished with a team-high 22 points to lead the University of New England to a 92-76 victory over Suffolk University in the opening round of the Jim Beaudry Classic at the Campus Center.
The Nor'easters (7-3) won for the sixth straight start and will face Eastern Connecticut State University -- an 87-84 overtime winner versus UMaine Fort Kent -- in tomorrow's championship game scheduled for 3:00 p.m. Suffolk (0-7) will take on the Bengals in a 1:00 p.m. consolation game.
Jefferson was firing on all cylinders from the outset, making three shots from inside the arc and two from long range to give the Nor'easters a 13-2 lead less than five minutes into the contest.
Suffolk was able to recover and closed to within eight (39-31) at intermission. UNE shot just 37.8 percent (14 of 37) in the opening 20 minutes but was able to force 15 Ram turnovers.
The Rams started strong in the second half and got as close as two (48-46) on a lay-up by sophomore Mario Massimino (East Haven, Conn.) at the 14:46 mark.
UNE responded with a 20-2 barrage over the ensuing 6:31 to build a 68-48 advantage and put the game away. Jefferson scored eight points to help key the run, while first-year Quentin Thompson (Austin, Texas) added five.
Jefferson was 9-for-17 from the floor and 4-for-9 from beyond the arc en route to a season-high 22 points. First-year guard Anthony Johnson (Austin, Texas) had 11 points and six rebounds and senior guard Jaykyri Simpson (East Cleburne, Texas) contributed 10 points, seven boards and three assists. First-year guard Victor Oruonyehu (Austin, Texas) added 11 points.
First-year guard Mike Gibbons (Ringwood, N.J.) came off the bench to bury six 3-pointers on his way to 20 points for the Rams. Senior forward Brian Small (Stoughton, Mass.) played a strong game inside, finishing with 17 points, 10 boards and eight blocked shots. Sophomore guard Allan Ray (Lynn, Mass.) posted a double-double with 14 points and 10 caroms.
