WILMINGTON, Del. - - A steal off an in-bounds pass and layup with 14 seconds left flipped the script as the Wilmington University men's basketball team defeated crosstown rival Goldey-Beacom, 59-57, to snap a three-game losing streak and get back into the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference hunt on Tuesday night at the Joseph West Jones Center.
The Wildcats (9-8, 3-5 CACC) started off strong, racing out to as large as an 11-point lead with 9:21 left in the first half. But the Wildcats needed a key defensive stop to take the lead and then another stop to secure the victory.
Marcus Pierce put in a layup to give the Wildcats a 55-54 lead with 1:35 left to play, but then the Lightning's (6-12, 3-5 CACC) big man Kevon Ferguson hit a three-pointer in the corner to give the home team a 57-55 lead with 33 seconds left.
Randy Rickards drove the lane and was fouled on the ensuing Wildcats' possession and calmy hit the first free throw. But his second free throw to tie the game was short and the Lightning came up with the rebound.
The Lightning were still not in the bonus so needed to put the ball back in play. Stuck deep in their corner, the Lightning tried to lob a ball into Zayon Marsh, but Randy Rickards out-jumped him and tipped the ball to Marcus Pierce. Pierce then found Taalib Holloman who quickly laid it home to give the Wildcats a 58-57 lead with 14 seconds left.
Out of a timeout, the Lightning turned to Zayon Marsh atop the key, but he lost his handle in the lane and the Wildcats came away with the ball. Caleb Matthews hit his first free throw for the two-point lead and missed the second to start the clock. Deep in their end, the Lightning couldn't get a shot off as the Wildcats came away victorious, 59-57.
The Wildcats started the game by scoring six of the first eight points of the game. Jordan Jackson hit a three-pointer to start a 9-0 run. Skip Burton, Justin Thomas, and Amiri Stewart all followed with layups to take a 16-5 lead with 10:20 to play in the first half. The Lightning used 10-0 run of their own to take their first lead, 28-25, but the Wildcats answered the final five points to go into the break with a 30-28 lead.
Goldey-Beacom took the lead, 44-43, with 12:30 to play in the second half and took their largest lead of the game, 54-51, with 5:48 to play in the game, setting up the finish for the Wildcats.
All nine Wildcats that played scored in the game, led by Amiri Stewart's 12 points on 4-of-6 shooting and had a team high three assists. Randy Rickards scored 10 points to go with five rebounds, two assists, and the one key steal. Justin Thomas scored nine points while Marcus Pierce and Caleb Matthews added eight. Nalik Veasley secured 12 rebounds while adding three points and three blocks.
Tonight was the second of four straight on the road, as the Wildcats next travel to CACC North Division leading Caldwell on Saturday. The game is set for a 3:00 p.m. tip-off