Press Release Written by Mitchell Coll
PHILADELPHIA, Pa. - - The Wilmington University men's basketball team faced a red-hot shooting Jefferson University Rams offense that converted 15 three-pointers on Wednesday evening, falling 81-59 in the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference South Division matchup at the Gallagher Center in Philadelphia.
Jefferson's Erik Timko, the CACC's leading scorer, proved it again tonight, scoring 28 points on 11-of-20 shooting, including five three-pointers.
Amiri Stewart, the reigning CACC Defensive Player of the Week, proved his game on the offensive side of the ball in the first half of play. Stewart led both teams in the first half, scoring 15 points on 4-of-5 shooting and 3-for-4 from beyond the arc.
The Wildcats turned good defense into offense early as Randy Rickards earned the first basket of the night from a steal, which he laid in for two points. The Wildcats jumped to an early 7-2 lead four minutes into the game. The Rams had their first lead nine minutes in until Stewart connected on his first three-pointer, 12-11, in favor of the Wildcats.
The Rams, however, made four three-pointers in four minutes to help give them their largest lead of the half at 14 points with three minutes to play. The Wildcats cut the deficit to 11 points going into the half with field goals made by Taalib Holloman and Amiri Stewart.
The Wildcats again were hurt by Ram's ability to connect from beyond the three-point arc as they opened the second half with three three-pointers in under four minutes of play. However, Justin Thomas responded to the hot shooting of the Rams with three three-pointers just six minutes into the second half. In four minutes, the Wildcats found themselves down by 19 points, but the Wildcats scored on four straight possessions to cut the deficit down to 12 points with under 14 minutes to play.
The Wildcats found themselves down 12 points again, 60-48, with 10:42 left to play. Marcus Pierce earned two trips to the line within two points, earning three points during that span. Randy Rickards hit a foul shot to bring the deficit to 15 points and the Wildcats collected a turnover looking to cut into the deficit more. But the Wildcats turned the ball over themselves and the Rams scored back-to-back buckets to open a 73-54 lead with 4:12 to play to essentially ice the contest.
Amiri Stewart led the Wildcats in scoring with 19 points, six boards, two steals, and a block. Randy Rickards and Justin Thomas each had 14 points. Rickards also added nine rebounds, two steals, and a block.
The Wildcats will be back in action on Saturday, February 11, as they take on Post University home at the complex at 3:00 PM.