BLOOMSBURG, Pa. - - Hitting 15 three-pointers and shooting 62.1 percent from the floor for the game led Bloomsburg to a 109-87 nonconference victory over the Wilmington University men's basketball on Wednesday night at the Nelson Field House.
The Huskies (5-7) missed only 28 shots all night, going 41-of-66 from the floor (15-of-25 from deep) and 12-of-15 from the foul line for the night. More impressively, the Huskies shot 23-of-31 from the floor (9-of-13 from three-point territory) in the second half, leading to 64 points.
The Wildcats (6-8) didn't shoot poorly, finishing 48.6 percent from the floor for the game and 11-of-12 from the foul line, but hit on only 6-of-28 from beyond the three-point arc. They put in 22-of-37 from the floor in the second half alone, shooting 59.5 percent from the floor for 50 points.
Battling from behind all night, the Wildcats fell behind by double digits for the first time at 18-8 with 12:34 left in the first half. Down by as many as 12 in the first half, 24-12, the Wildcats fought back with a quick 7-0 spurt and were only down three, 26-23, following a Danny Walsh layup with 6:50 showing on the clock. Two free throws from Walsh brought the Wildcats to a single point before Jermaine Head brought the visitors all the way back to a tie game, 28-28, with a three-pointer.
With the game tied at 30, the Huskies went on a game-deciding 13-2 run and hit a jumper to go back up by double figures, 45-35, with 46 seconds left in the half. The Wildcats were down 45-37, at the break.
Thomas Farrior laid one in to bring the Wildcats to within 62-56 with 12:52 left in regulation, but three straight buckets and a 7-0 run saw the Huskies go back up 69-56 with 11:45 showing on the clock.
With the game still in reach, 75-65, at the halfway point of the second half, the Huskies hit a three-pointer and following it up with a put-back layup, and another three-pointer to extend the lead out to 83-65 with 8:38 to play. The Huskies' lead grew to as large as 26 with 2:41 left to play, 104-78, before the Wildcats scored nine of the final 14 points to settle on the final score.
The Huskies also out-rebounded the Wildcats, 47-18, for the game, including 11 offensive rebounds that led to 14-second chance points. The Wildcats forced 24 turnovers and came away with 14 steals, leading to 27 points off turnovers.
Thomas Farrior finished with a game-high 31 points, shooting 60.8 percent from the floor in hitting 14-of-23 shots. Jermaine Head poured in 22 points on 7-of-12 shooting, grabbing seven rebounds to go with five assists and five steals as well. Danny Walsh hit two three-pointers and finished with 14 points. Xavier Alston dished out a team's best six assists.
Wednesday was the final nonconference game of the year for the Wildcats, as they turn their focus to the rest of the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference schedule. They start the final run on Saturday at Concordia with a 3:00 p.m. opening tip.