NEWARK, Del. - - Senior guard Herb Dennis became the third player in Wilmington University men's basketball NCAA era to scored 1,000 career points, but it wasn't enough as the Wildcats dropped a Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference contest against Post, 77-68, on Saturday afternoon at the WU Athletics Complex.
Dennis (Ridgely, Md./North Caroline) sank a free-throw with 32 seconds remaining in the contest to break the 1,000 career point barrier, needing 10 points coming into today's game. He trails only Taurean Temple (1,423 points) and Antonio Sherrod (1,280 points) on the all-time career scoring list, since the Wildcats joined the NCAA ranks for the 2004-05 season. He is already the program's all-time leader in career assists, as well as the season record holder with 116 assists during last year's campaign.
The Wildcats (3-7, 1-2 CACC) were unable to climb back from a 12-0 run by Post (2-5, 2-2 CACC) in the middle of the second half, however, after Shaq Monroe-Gaskins tied the match at 38-38. Monroe-Gaskins put in a layup with 12:09 remaining in the game to cap a 6-0 run by the Wildcats, tying the contest for the fourth time.
Following a timeout, Post responded with its own 12-0 run over the next two and a half minutes and never relinquished the lead.
The Eagles' lead ballooned to as large as 14 points at 61-47 with 5:06 remaining before the Wildcats made a push to close the gap to as few as eight points with a minute to play and seven points with only 22 seconds remaining.
Wilmington had four players in double figures, led by Ta'Vaune Griffins' double-double of 12 points and 16 rebounds. The sophomore from Chester, Pa. also collected five blocked shots in the contest. Dennis also collected a double-double, scoring 12 points overall while adding 10 rebounds and a game high four assists. Shai Henry tallied another 12 points, hitting a pair of three-pointers while Monroe-Gaskins led the team with 16 points.
Post's Derrick Strong was the game-high scorer, finishing with 24 points while Zach Krischer hit five three-pointers (5-of-6) to score 19 points.
The Wildcats went 23-of-58 from the floor, but only hit 2-of-15 from beyond the three-point arc and 20-of-34 from the foul line. On the other hand, Post shot 24-of-53 from the floor, but 10-of-17 from three-point territory and 19-of-23 from the charity stripe.
Saturday wrapped up the three-game home stand for the Wildcats, as they return to the road for their next contest. The team will travel to Mercy College for a nonconference matchup on Wednesday night. The opening tip is scheduled for 8 p.m.
