The Wilmington University men's basketball team led wire-to-wire at Post on Saturday, picking up its first victory of the season, 77-60, in Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference play at the Drubner Center.
The win snapped a 13-game losing streak dating back to last season for the Wildcats (1-7, 1-2 CACC) and is the first coaching victory for first year head coach Dan Burke. Post (3-4, 2-2 CACC) closed the gap to nine points with 7:29 remaining in regulation but the Wildcats pushed the lead back out to double-digits to close out the contest.
The Wildcats started fast, scoring the first six points of the contest before taking a 10-2 lead 4:23 into the game. Kevin Ohen slammed home two-points in the midst of a 9-0 run to give the Wildcats their first double digit advantage, 21-11, with 7:30 left in the first half.
The Eagles cut the deficit to 25-22 late in the half but Trevor Rosenbaum capped a 7-3 run to close out the half with a putback layup at the buzzer, giving the Wildcats a 32-25 lead going into the break.
Tyaire Ponzo-Meek's three-pointer 2:39 into the second half gave the Wildcats a 40-27 lead and the Wildcats continued a 13-0 run capped by an Ohen free throw with 13:56 remaining to give the visitors its largest lead of the game, 49-27.
A 6-0 run brought the Eagles to within nine, 58-49, with 7:29 showing on the clock, but Ponzo-Meek answered with another three-pointer to push the lead back out to double figures. Ohen then hit back-to-back three-pointers after the Eagles closed the gap to 61-51, effectively putting the game away with 3:41 to play.
The Wildcats did not let the Eagles back into the game late, hitting their final 10 shots from the free throw line over the final 2:29 to close out the game.
Ohen led the Wildcats with a game high 24 points, shooting 7-of-11 from the floor and 8-of-10 from the foul line. Ponzo-Meek shot 5-of-12 from the floor and 7-of-8 from the foul line for 19 points, adding nine rebounds and three assists. Sam Sanders also finished in double digits, scoring 10 points off the bench.
The Wildcats went 24-of-61 from the floor for the game, hitting four three-pointers in the second half in the win. The team also went 25-of-33 from the foul line, including 17-of-21 in the second half.
The Wildcats kept the Eagles off the foul line as the home team went 4-of-7 from the charity stripe for the game. The Eagles hit eight three-pointers but only shot 35.8 percent from the floor.
Wilmington is off for an entire week and return to the WU Athletics Complex for their next contest, hosting Mercy on Monday, December 15. The opening tip is scheduled for 7 p.m.