NEWARK, Del. - - The Wilmington University men's basketball team tied a single game program record with 17 made three-pointers, using the long ball late to break away from Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference foe Chestnut Hill, 96-85, on Tuesday night at the WU Athletics Complex.
A Jordan Harding dunk spurred an 8-2 run to take a seven-point game in the final minutes of the game, and then Jermaine Head capped it with a three-pointer to go up eight with 46 seconds left. The win is the Wildcats' (7-15, 5-8 CACC) second of the season against the Griffins (4-18, 4-7 CACC) and fourth in a row overall.
The Griffins jumped out to a 12-5 lead in the first five minutes, but then the Wildcats rattled off 12 straight to take a 17-12 lead with 12:13 to play in the first half. Now leading 22-20, the Wildcats scored another 12 straight in route to a 23-4 run, grabbing a 45-24 lead with 1:50 to play in the half. The Griffins scored the final eight of the half though, as the Wildcats took a 45-32 lead into the break.
Chestnut Hill began cutting into the deficit in the second half, eventually cutting it to a one-point game, 53-52, with 13:13 showing on the clock. Back-to-back buckets by Trevonn Pitts put the visitors up 60-59 with 10:33 left and the teams went back-and-forth from there. The next 5:01 of game time saw seven lead changes and five ties, before Jermaine Head put back an offensive rebound to give the Wildcats a 75-73 lead with 5:32 to play. They would not give up the lead for the rest of the game.
Jermaine Head hit a three-pointer to go up four, but then the Griffins answered right back with a three of their own to bring it to a 79-78 score with 3:40 left. Then Jordan Harding used a high screen, found a lane, and flushed it home to swing the momentum in favor of the Wildcats, 81-78, with 3:17 to play.
Taalib Holloman then hit a three, and Jermaine Head answered a CHC two-pointer with another three, taking an 87-80 lead with 1:41 to play. After the Griffins hit a three of their own, Jordan Harding launched a triple to regain a seven-point lead, 90-83, with 1:17 left. Chestnut Hill made two from the line, but then the Jermaine Head dagger three hit with 46 seconds left, putting the Wildcats up 93-85. Head then made three of four from the foul line to close out the scoring.
The Wildcats hit nine three-pointers in the first half and eight more in the second half, tying the record of 17 set against Georgian Court on January 14, 2014. The 41 attempted three-pointers are a new team record. The Wildcats also turned 14 Griffin turnovers into 25 points at the other end.
Jermaine Head led the scoring with 34 points, hitting 5-of-11 from three-point land, adding 10 assists for the double-double. He also had six rebounds and three steals in the win.
Jordan Harding hit four three-pointers and finished with 24 points, adding six rebounds as well. Taalib Holloman went 4-of-7 from downtown, leading to 20 points as well. Danny Walsh chipped in with three made three-pointers, tallying 11 points while adding five assists.
The Wildcats head to Caldwell for their next contest, as they will take on the Cougars on Saturday afternoon. Tip-off is scheduled for 3:00 p.m.
