PHILADELPHIA, Pa. - - Amiri Stewart scored a game-high 24 points but his three-pointer near the buzzer hit rimmed out as the Wilmington University men's basketball team dropped a 60-59 decision at Chestnut Hill in a Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference South Division contest in Sorgenti Arena on Wednesday night.
For the second straight game, the long ball wasn't dropping for the Wildcats (11-9, 5-4 CACC) who shot 4-for-15 from deep. They also hurt themselves with a 5-for-12 performance from the charity stripe.
The first half was a game of swings, with the Wildcats throwing the first punch. Taalib Holloman and Amiri Stewart combined for the first seven points of the game and then Skip Burton hit a three-pointer and the Wildcats were off to a 10-1 start. But then the Griffins (6-15, 5-5 CACC) responded with a 29-6 run, taking their largest lead of the night, 30-16, with 9:18 to play in the first half. Stewart went on a personal 10-0 run with two dunks, bringing the Wildcats back into frame. Nalik Veasley eventually tied the game, 34-34, with 1:42 to play. The Griffins hit a three-pointer and Kaleb Hedgepeth put in a layup and the Griffins went into the break with a 37-36 lead.
The entire second half was played within a four-point margin with seven ties and 10 lead changes. The Griffins broke a 52-52 tie with a two free throws and then added a layup to take the largest lead of the half, 56-52, with 7:50 to play. Skip Burton put in a layup and Ash Kemble tied the game with a layup, 56-56, with 6:45 left on the clock. The Griffins went back up by a bucket and then Amiri Stewart converted an old fashioned three-point play on an out of bounds play with 4:02 to play, giving the Wildcats what would be their final lead of the night, 59-58.
The Griffins put in two free throws with 3:09 showing on the clock, and neither team would find the bottom of the net the rest of the night. The Wildcats had one more chance with 13 seconds left, and Amiri Stewart got the ball back but his three-pointer from straight away hit the back of the iron and the Wildcats couldn't get the offensive rebound back up towards the rim as time expired.
Amiri Stewart finished with 24 points on 10-of-18 shooting, adding six rebounds with three steals, and two assists. Skip Burton scored 10 points to go with six rebounds, five assists, and three steals while Taalib Holloman added 10 points and a team high seven rebounds.
The Wildcats will look to snap their three-game losing streak when they return home on Saturday. They welcome Bridgeport to the WU Athletics Complex for a 3:00 p.m. tip-off.