NEWARK, Del. - - The home rim wasn't kind to the Wilmington University men's basketball team who failed to shake off the rust of a 11-day layoff as USciences took an 83-58 Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference South Division contest on Saturday afternoon at the WU Athletics Complex.
Each team took 31 shots in the first half, but the Devils (8-4, 4-0 CACC) were able to sink 15 of them as compared to the Wildcats' (7-6, 2-2 CACC) nine. The Wildcats hit 4-of-15 from deep but the Devils answered by shooting 5-of-9 from three-point territory in the opening 20 minutes.
The matchup was close early as Jermaine Head hit two from the foul line and then turned a steal at midcourt into two more on the fast break layup, tying the game at 15-15, with 9:56 showing on the clock. But that would be the last point the Wildcats would score for the next 5:31 of game time.
The Devils rattled off a 14-0 run, taking a commanding 29-15 lead with 4:41 left before the break. The run continued as they went for final runs of 23-3 and 26-9 to close the half. The visitors went into the break with a 41-24 lead.
The Devils took their first 20-point advantage of the second half as Flo Da-Silva converted a Wildcat turnover into a layup for a 47-26 lead. The visitors continued to push in the second half, and eventually took their largest lead of the game, 79-53, with 2:21 left in the contest. A final bucket at the buzzer set the final score, 83-58.
The Wildcats finished shooting 30 percent (18-of-60) from the floor for the game, including 7-of-30 (23.3 percent) from three-point territory. The Devils shot 49.2 percent from the floor (31-of-63), and out rebounded the Wildcats 51-31 in the game.
The Wildcats were led by Jermaine Head's game-high 22 points while Miles Gillette tallied his fourth double-double of the season, putting in 14 points while grabbing 10 rebounds. Shawn Church was the only other Wildcat in double figures with 11 points. Ed Henderson II came off the bench to hit two three-pointers and finish with seven points.
The Wildcats remain in CACC South Division play with their next contest, as they head to Chestnut Hill on Wednesday night. The Griffins and Wildcats will play at the completion of the women's game at approximately 8:00 p.m.
