An early second half run fueled Goldey-Beacom to an 81-71 Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference victory over the Wilmington University men's basketball team on Saturday afternoon at the WU Athletics Complex.

A quick 8-0 spurt, which included a pair of three-pointers, gave the Lighting (5-10, 2-5 CACC) a 10-point lead just 1:28 into the second half. The Wildcats (3-13, 2-6 CACC) cut the deficit to as few as two-points but could never get over the hump as they fell for the sixth straight contest.

Down 44-32 with 15:51 to play in regulation, the Wildcats went on a 10-0 run of their own, started by a Sam Sanders jumper and finished with a high-low layup by Tajee Almon from Ta'Vaune Griffin to cut the deficit to 44-42 with 12:27 to play.

But the Wildcats couldn't turn the corner to create the fourth tie score of the game before the Lightning responded with an 8-0 run of their own. Goldey-Beacom regained momentum with three-pointers on back-to-back possessions, taking a 52-42 lead with 10:16 showing on the scoreboard.

Almon hit a runner to bring the Wildcats back within eight with less than 10 minutes to play, but the Wildcats couldn't get any closer than that until the final moments of the contest. Goldey-Beacom grew its lead to as large as 14 points before settling on the 10-point victory.

Sanders tied the game high with 19 points, shooting 9-of-16 for the game off the bench, hitting 1-of-3 from deep. Thompson hit four three-pointers in the game, finishing with 18 points while shooting 6-for-9 from the floor. Tyaire Ponzo-Meek dished out a game high five assists in only 17 minutes while Thompson added four assists and three steals.

The Wildcats shot 42.4 percent from the floor but only 29.2 percent from three and 53.3 percent from the foul line (8-of-15). The Lightning were hitting on all cylinders in the second half, shooting 60 percent from the floor (12-of-20) and 57.1 percent from deep (4-of-7). Goldey-Beacom also hit 29-of-34 from the foul line for the game, including 23-of-26 in the second half.

The Wildcats return to CACC South Division action for their next contest as they take to the road for their only game next week. The Wildcats head to Lakewood, N.J., for the CACC doubleheader at Georgian Court.

The Wildcats defeated the Lions, 82-74, in their previous meeting this season. The men are the nightcap, tipping off at approximately 8 p.m.