SHIPPENSBURG, Pa. - - A hot shooting first half by Shippensburg was too much to overcome for the Wilmington University men's basketball team, as the Raiders went on to an 84-66 nonconference victory on Wednesday night inside Heiges Field House.
The Raider (2-1) shot 54.1 percent in the first half, hitting five three-pointers to take as large as a 26-point lead in the opening 20 minutes. The Wildcats (0-3) started the second half on a 12-2 run, but could never get the deficit back into single digits. The Wildcats won the second half, 43-37.
The Raiders got off to a quick start against the Wildcats, starting the game 8-for-12 from the floor and 1-for-1 from the foul line to take a 19-2 lead. The Wildcats started 1-for-7 from the floor during the same stretch. Randy Rickards' fast break layup brought the Wildcats to within 23-10 with 12:05 left in the half, but the Raider finished the first half on a 24-13 run, taking as large as a 26-point lead with 1:32 to play, to go into the break leading 47-23.
The Wildcats came out of the break with a purpose, as Justin Thomas hit a jumper and then a three-pointer to quickly get to within 19-points and force Shippensburg into a timeout. The run continued out of the timeout, as Randy Rickards put in a layup before Kameron Cooper hit a jumper. Justin Thomas hit back-to-back jumpers and all of a sudden the Wildcats were within 12 points, 49-37, with 16:01 left in regulation.
Shippensburg answered with the next five points to reopen a 17-point lead, and then two possessions later a three-pointer saw the Raiders regain a 20-point lead, 59-39, with 13:21 to play. The Wildcats started to chip away at the lead again, as another Justin Thomas jumper brought the deficit to 15, 63-48, with 10:33 showing on the clock.
Shippensburg was able to keep the Wildcats at bay, leading by 18 before a 6-0 run by the Wildcats. Jordan Harding put back an offensive rebound and then Danny Walsh and Randy Rickards each hit a pair from the foul line, bringing the Wildcats to within 70-58 with 7:30 to play.
A Danny Walsh jumper brought the Wildcats to within 13 with 4:28 left, but that would be as close as they would get the rest of the game. The Wildcats missed on their next two possessions and the Raiders opened the lead back out to 17 before settling on the final score, 84-66.
Justin Thomas led the Wildcats with 20 points, shooting 7-of-14 from the floor, including 2-for-6 from beyond the three-point arc. Randy Rickards added 17 points on 7-of-14 shooting while Jordan Harding chipped in with 10 points. Ethan Tarte came off the bench to grab a team high five rebounds.
The Wildcats shot 48.3 percent in the second half, going 14-of-29 from the floor and 12-of-14 from the foul line. Shippensburg shot 45.9 percent for the game, including 8-for-22 from beyond the three-point arc.
The next game for the Wildcats is the 2021-22 home opener on Saturday and will be 630 days since the WU Athletics Complex has seen a regulation basketball game. The Wildcats will tipoff against Bowie State at 4:00 p.m.