WEST CHESTER, Pa. - - Sick of playing from behind and needing to catch up the first three games of the season, the Wilmington University men's basketball team blitzed West Chester out of the gates and rolled to a 91-74 nonconference road victory inside Hollinger Field House on Monday night.
Four of the five Wildcat (2-3) started scored in double figures, including Jordan Jackson and Randy Rickards who each scored a game-high 23 points. The Wildcats hit on 57.6 percent of their shots, going 34-of-59 from the flooring including 10-of-22 from beyond the three-point arc.
After a game-opening three-pointer that was off the mark, the Wildcats hit their next 10 shots in the game, going 10-for-10 from the floor, including one three-pointer, to take a 21-10 lead. The Wildcats got out and ran the court during the start, getting dunks and fastbreak layups from Amiri Stewart, Justin Thomas, and Randy Rickards.
Back-to-back three-pointers by Kaleb Hedgepeth and Jordan Jackson gave the Wildcats a 27-15 lead with 12:15 to play in the first half.
West Chester (3-1) used a 9-0 run to get to within 31-24, but Justin Thomas hit a three-pointer to end the draught for the Wildcats. Five straight from Rickards gave the Wildcats a 41-29 lead with 2:47 showing on the board and then another Rickards' dunk gave the Wildcats a 15-point lead, 46-31. The Wildcats took a 46-33 lead into the break.
West Chester pulled to within 50-40 by starting the second half on a 7-4 run but a Jordan Jackson floater gave the Wildcats a 14-point lead again with 16:14 left. Randy Rickards' back-to-back buckets put the Wildcats up 16 points and then Justin Thomas gave the Wildcats a 64-46 lead with 11:32 to play.
Skip Burton got into the boxscore with a three-pointer to make it 71-53 and then another 7-1 run by the Wildcats gave the visitors their largest lead of the game, 82-62, with 3:39 to play. Jordan Jackson and Randy Richards had dunks during the run sandwiched around another Thomas three-pointer.
Jordan Jackson and Randy Rickards scored 23 points each while both shot 9-of-15 from the floor. Rickards stuffed the boxscore with 10 rebounds, five assists, four blocks, and four steals as well. Justin Thomas added 17 points, seven rebounds, and three assists, while Amiri Stewart chipped in with 13 points, five rebounds, and three assists.
The Wildcats will celebrate Thanksgiving on Thursday and then get back to work to prepare for another PSAC opponent Monday night. They head to Kutztown to close out their four-game swing against PSAC opponents. The opening tip is set for 7:00 p.m.