ALBANY, N.Y. - - Saint Rose broke a tie with 10 minutes to play as the Wilmington University men's basketball team dropped its 2023-24 debut, 85-73, on Saturday night inside the Daniel P. Nolan Gymnasium.
The tight matchup was tied, 56-56, with 10:09 to play as Kaleb Hedgepeth put in a layup, but then the Golden Knights went on an 11-2 run to take the lead for good in the contest.
The Wildcats raced out to an 8-0 lead in the first 1:34, getting a dunk from Taalib Holloman and back-to-back three pointers from Caleb Matthews and Holloman. Kaleb Hedgepeth hit a three-pointer to put the Wildcats up 23-14 and then Marcus Pierce gave the Wildcats their first 10-point lead with another three-pointer, 26-16. Taalib Holloman converting a driving layup to put the Wildcats ahead, 28-18, with 9:34 to play in the first half, being the largest lead of the game for the Wildcats.
The Golden Knights fought back with an 8-0 run to get to within, 28-26, with 6:05 to play in the half and eventually tied it, 37-37, with 2:07 left on the clock before the break. Kaleb Hedgepeth hit another three-pointer to put the Wildcats up, 40-39, with 32 seconds left, but Saint Rose hit a pair from the line to end the half and head into the locker room leading 41-40.
The Wildcats used a 9-0 run in the early going of the second half to take a 51-48 lead, but again the back-and-forth game went on the seesaw as the Golden Knights fought back to take a 54-51 lead with 12:21 to play. Taalib Holloman hit a three-pointer to tie the contest and then Hedgepeth tied it once against, 56-56, with a layup with 10:09 to play.
But that is when the Golden Knights used an 11-2 run to take a 67-58 lead with 7:10 showing on the clock. Taalib Holloman hit a three-point and Asher Kemble put in a layup to bring the Wildcats to within four points, 67-63, with 6:16 left, but that would be as close as the Wildcats would get the rest of the way. The Golden Knights outscored the Wildcats, 18-10, the rest of the way, leading to the 12-point victory.
Taalib Holloman led the Wildcats with 17 points, hitting three three-pointers and both of his free throws. Caleb Matthews scored 13 points with three three-pointers as well, adding three rebounds and four assists. Marcus Pierce scored 11 points while dishing out five assists while Nalik Veasley was the final Wildcat in double figures with 10 points, hitting a pair of three-pointers as well. Veasley led the team with six rebounds as well.
The Wildcats went 13-of-31 (41.9 percent) from three-point territory in the contest while shooting 40 percent from the floor overall. Saint Rose beat the Wildcats on the run, scoring 21 points on the break. They also outscored the Wildcats, 50-26, in the paint.
The Wildcats are back in action on Sunday afternoon, as they play New Haven on a neutral court at Saint Rose. The tip-off is set for 4:00 p.m. in Albany, New York.