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NEWARK, Del. - - The Wilmington University men's basketball team took the lead with 8:02 to play and never relinquished it, winning its Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference opener, 76-69, over Chestnut Hill on Wednesday night at the WU Athletics Complex.
The game featured three lead changes and six ties, the last coming at 57-57 before the Wildcats (3-4, 1-0 CACC) took the lead for good. The Griffins (0-7, 0-1 CACC) hit nine three-pointers in the game, but the Wildcats turned 16 Chestnut Hill turnovers and scored 23 points at the other end. The Wildcat also dominated the paint, outscoring the Griffins, 38-24, on the inside.
The Wildcats used a 10-0 run in the early going to take a 13-6 lead, as Brycen Williams hit a three-pointer with 13:16 to play in the first half. LJ Carter gave the Wildcats their first 10-point lead with a three-pointer, 20-10, with 11:24 to play before giving the Wildcats their largest lead of the night with another three-pointer, 25-13, with 10:03 showing on the clock.
The Griffins whittled the lead all the way down to a single bucket, 28-26, with 6:17 left before tying the match, 33-33, with 3:22 on the clock. Taalib Holloman converted a steal and dunk and Brycen Williams hit another three-pointer to put the Wildcats back up seven, 40-33. But again, the Griffins fought back, hitting a three pointer to send the game into the break with the Wildcats leading, 40-38.
The opening six minutes of the second half saw three ties and five lead changes, the last being a Kaleb Hedgepeth layup to give the Wildcats a 48-47 lead with 14:13 to play in the game. Ash Kembler gave the Wildcats a 52-47 lead with 12:17 to play, which would be the largest lead of the second half until the final two minutes.
The Griffins tied the game, 55-55, and again, 57-57. Caleb Matthews scored off an inbounds play, giving the Wildcats the lead with 8:02 to play. It would be the final lead change of the night. Nalik Veasley put in an offensive rebound to give the Wildcats a 65-59 lead with 4:27 to play and then Taalib Holloman scored a driving layup with 1:51 showing on the clock to make it 69-62. The Wildcats stretched the lead to as many as nine points with free throws before settling on the final score, 76-69.
Taalib Holloman led the Wildcats with 16 points on 6-of-11 shooting, adding three steals and two assists. Amiri Stewart came off the bench to score 14 points on 5-of-9 shooting, adding four rebounds, three assists, three steals, and two blocked shots. Brycen Williams hit a pair of three-pointers and shot 4-for-8 from the floor for 12 points off the bench. Kaleb Hedgepeth scored nine points while Nalik Veasley scored eight points and grabbed a team high nine rebounds to go with three blocks and two steals.
The Wildcats took care of the ball on Wednesday night, committing only five turnovers in the contest. They shot 45.3 percent from the floor, including 7-of-18 from beyond the three-point arc.
The Wildcats step outside the CACC for their next four games, including their next two at home. They host Kutztown on Thursday, December 7, with a 7:00 p.m. tipoff at the WU Athletics Complex.
