NEWARK, Del. - - The Wilmington University men's basketball team led wire-to-wire in a 68-54 nonconference victory over Lock Haven on Saturday afternoon at the WU Athletics Complex, closing out the 2021 home slate.
Coming off a game in which the Wildcats (4-8) shot just 3.39 percent from the floor on Thursday at Lincoln, the home rims were sight for sore eyes. They came out and shot 53.3 percent from the floor in the first half, putting up 42 points to lead by 16 at the halftime break. The Wildcats ended up shooting 48.2 percent from the floor for the game, second best in a game this season.
The Wildcats scored the first bucket of the game, and the only tie of the contest came at 2-2 when the Bald Eagles (4-2) answered right back. The Wildcats scored the next six points of the game and took their first double-digit lead of the game, 14-4, following an old-fashioned three-point play from Randy Rickards with 15:40 to play.
After Caleb Matthew hit a three-pointer to go up 21-10, with 12:21 to play, the Wildcats went cold from the field, not soring again until a Jordan Jackson free throw went down with 9:13 left on the clock. The Eagles clawed their way back to within 21-17 before that free throw.
Danny Walsh hit a three-pointer and then Justin Thomas put in a layup to make the advantage 12 points, and the Wildcats never allowed the lead to dip inside single digits for the rest of the first half. The first half lead grew to as large as 16 a few different times, including at the end as Danny Walsh hit both from the line at the end and the Wildcats went into the break leading 42-26.
Justin Thomas made a layup to give the Wildcats a 15-point lead with 13:44 to play, but then Lock Haven made it a game again with a run of their own. The Bald Eagles scored eight straight to get to within 47-40, and had a look at a three-pointer to get even closer that was off the mark. Thomas went on a 5-0 run of his own to answer the Eagles, regaining a 52-40 lead with 9:25 left in regulation.
Lock Haven hit a three-pointer to get to within eight points, but Caleb Matthews answered right back with a three of his own, and the Eagles never came within single digits again the rest of the game. Randy Rickards put the final touches on the game with a two-handed slam, putting the Wildcats up by their largest lead of the game, 68-48, with 2:00 minutes left on the board.
Rickards led the Wildcats with 19 points and nine rebounds, adding three assists and two steals as well. Justin Thomas bounced back with a 17-point performance, adding six rebounds, three steals, and three assists as well. Caleb Matthews came off the bench to score 15 points, hitting 3-of-4 from beyond the three-point arc. Danny Walsh dished out six assists and grabbed six rebounds in the win.
The defense, which came into the game leading the CACC in opponents three-point shooting percentage, did not allow a single three-pointer on the day, as the Eagles went 0-for-18. The Wildcats also held leading scoring MarkAnthony Fidelis below his 20-point average, as he scored six points in the game on just 2-of-15 shooting.
The Wildcats have a tough road assignment next weekend before taking the seven-day mandatory break for the holidays. They head to West Virginia to take on nationally ranked No. 10 West Liberty next Sunday. The opening tip is set for 3:00 p.m.
