PHILADELPHIA, Pa. - - A 25-foot jumper at the buzzer sank the hearts of the Wilmington University men's basketball team as Holy Family pulled off a 73-70 victory over the Wildcats in Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference action at the Campus Center on Thursday night.
The game featured five ties in the final seven minutes of action, the last coming with under a minute to play as Holy Family (14-5, 8-2 CACC) knotted the score at 70-70 with an Isaiah Gans dunk. Following a timeout, The Wildcats' (7-12, 3-7 CACC) shot by freshman Tyaire Ponzo-Meek was off the mark with the home team grabbing the rebound with 16 seconds remaining.
The Tigers set up a play in their own timeout, but settled for a 25-foot heave at the horn as Ervin Ezell came away the hero as the ball went through the net with no time remaining on the clock.
The buzzer beater capped the Tigers' second half comeback, as the Wildcats used a 15-5 run in the opening five minutes to gain their largest advantage of the night at 51-41.
The Wildcats used the three-point shot to open the double digit lead, starting with a trey from Shai Henry to break a 39-39 tie. Herb Dennis then went on a streak of hitting four consecutive shots from deep to answer any comeback from the Tigers. His fourth straight three-pointer gave the Wildcats a 54-44 advantage with 15:16 to play in regulation.
But the Tigers battled back, however, eventually squaring the score at 60-60 with 6:52 to play. That would start a string of see-saw action for the remainder of the contest, with the teams tying each other at 63, 66, 67, and 70 before Ezell's buzzer-beater.
Wilmington had five players in double figures, led by Dennis' 19 points. The senior shot 6-of-12 from the floor, including 5-of-8 from downtown. Dennis also dished out four assists, which was a team high along with Valentino Thompson. Thompson added 11 points and eight rebounds while also finishing with two steals.
Ponzo-Meek chipped in with 13 points off the bench, 11 of which came in the first half. The freshman went 6-of-6 from the foul line for the game. Henry hit four three-pointers on the night, scoring 14 points while grabbing three rebounds and dishing out two assists. Tyrik Gass was the final player in double digits, scoring 10 points while coming down with six rebounds.
Holy Family's Khiry Hankins scored a game high 22 points for the home team, shooting 8-of-16 from the floor, including 6-of-11 from three-point territory. Gans finished with 15 points while Alberto Munoz chipped in with 14. Ezell's three-pointer at the buzzer was his only trey of the night on six attempts, giving him 13 points for the game.
Free throws kept the Wildcats in the contest, as they hit 20-of-28 from the charity stripe for the game compared to the Tigers' 6-of-7. Wilmington shot 42.6 percent from the floor while the Tigers hit 44.1 percent of their shots.
Due to the weather, the Wildcats have a short turnaround for their next contest on Saturday. The team remains on the road for one more contest when they travel to CACC North Division foe Nyack for a 3 p.m. tip.