LAKEWOOD, N.J. - - Three Wildcats scored 15 or more points to lead the Wilmington University men's basketball team to an 80-69 Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference South Division road victory over Georgian Court on Wednesday night at the Wellness Center.
With the win, the Wildcats (11-6, 5-1 CACC) move a half-game ahead of Goldey-Beacom into first place in the South Division. The Wildcats and Lightning meet on Tuesday night at the WU Athletics Complex.
Amiri Stewart led the trio of Wildcats with 20 points while Taalib Holloman scored 16 points and Caleb Matthews added 15 points. The Wildcats didn't pull away until the second half though, using a 10-0 run to take a 53-44 lead and command of the game.
The first half was tightly contested, with the Wildcats taking the biggest lead of the opening 20 minutes, 23-17, with 10:43 to play. Georgian Court went on an 8-0 run to grab a 28-25 lead and then the Wildcats took the lead for the final time in the half with three layups from Amiri Stewart, Taalib Holloman, and Skip Burton, 39-35. The Wildcats went into the break lead, 41-40, hitting 6-of-10 from beyond the three-point arc.
Georgian Court took a 44-43 lead early in the second half, but Taalib Holloman answered right back with a driving layup, giving the Wildcats what would be their final lead of the night, 45-44. That sparked a 10-0 run for the Wildcats, which included a Stewart three-pointer, a Burton steal, and Holloman dunk, and an old-fashioned three-point play by Stewart for the 53-44 lead with 15:39 to play.
Ash Kemble gave the Wildcats a double-digit lead, 66-56, with a jumper with 9:58 to play and the Wildcats lead lingered between eight and 10 points before the Wildcats took their largest lead of the night, 77-64, after two free throws from Nalik Veasley. A quick 5-0 run brought the Lions to within eight, but the Wildcats held firm for the 11-point victory.
Amiri Stewart, playing against his father, Terrance, who coaches Georgian Court, shot 5-of-10 from the field, including 3-of-7 from deep and 7-of-7 from the foul line for his 20 points. He also added four assists, three steals, and two blocked shots. Taalib Holloman shot 8-of-15 from the floor for his 16 while Caleb Matthews shot 3-of-7 from deep and 6-of-7 from the foul line for his 15 points, adding three rebounds and three assists. Kaleb Hedgepeth scored nine points to go with three rebounds and three steals off the bench while Skip Burton led with four assists and four steals in the game.
The Wildcats are off this weekend and return to play next Tuesday against crosstown rival Goldey-Beacom. The men tip things off at 8:00 p.m.