NEWARK, Del. - - A string of three-pointers early in the second half led Goldey-Beacom to the come-from-behind victory over the Wilmington University men's basketball team, 73-67, in the 2019-20 regular season finale on Saturday at the WU Athletics Complex.
With the Wildcats (10-18, 8-11 CACC) leading 32-27 at the half, the Lightning (15-13, 12-7 CACC) came out of the halftime break and hit five three-pointer in the first six and a half minutes, flipping the script and holding an 11-point lead.
Nevertheless, the Wildcats clinched the South Division's third seed in the loss, as Georgian Court fell to Felician on Saturday as well. It is the fourth straight year the Wildcats will appear in the CACC Tournament, and fifth in the last six years overall. As the South's third seed, they will travel to the North Division's No. 2 seed Post on Tuesday night.
The Wildcats started off hot in front of a large crowd, turning an 11-8 lead into a 21-8 lead after a Kam Cooper dish led to an Eli Gibson dunk with 7:48 to play in the half. The lightning began to chip away however, closing the gap down to six with 5:17 left even had it at one, 26-25, with 2:02 to play. Now leading by two in the waning seconds, the Lightning stepped out of bounds, giving the Wildcats one final possession. Danny Walsh made it hurt, hitting a three-pointer at the buzzer while getting fouled. He couldn't' complete the four-point play though, sending the Wildcats into the half leading 32-27.
But then the three-pointers came from the Lightning, as they quickly closed the gap in the early part of the second half. Five straight to start the half tied the game, 32-32, and the Lightning had their first lead of the game, 35-34, with 17:04 left in regulation. The three-pointers kept coming for the visitors, taking an 11-point lead, 52-41, with 13:30 showing on the clock.
The lead grew to as large as 13 points before the Wildcats started to claw back. Kam Cooper and Danny Walsh hit back-to-back three-pointers, but the Lightning answered and had the game back up to 11 points, 62-51, with 7:38 left. A Kam Cooper old fashioned three-point play brought the Wildcats to within six points before a Walsh three-pointer and a Jermaine Head layup saw the Wildcats within three, 66-63, with 2:01 left.
Goldey-Beacom came down and hit a three-pointer though, stemming the tide regaining a 70-63 lead with a minute to play. Jermaine Head again cut the deficit to four, missed the free throw and couldn't recover the rebound. The Lightning were able to hang on for the 73-67 victory.
Danny Walsh hit five three-pointers and shot 10-of-17 from the floor to finish with a game high 25 points. Kam Cooper came off the bench to score 16 points, adding a career high 17 rebounds and three assists as well. Jermaine Head scored 17 points while adding eight assists and six rebounds.
Six of the Lightning's seven three-pointers came in the second half, as the visitors shot 53.1 percent from the floor in the second half. The Lighting will be the South Division's No. 2 seed and host Bloomfield on Tuesday.
The Wildcats' tip-off in Waterbury, Connecticut is set for 8:00 p.m., following the women's quarterfinal contest between Post and Chestnut Hill.
