WATERBURY, Conn. - - A late game charge allowed Post to send the game into overtime and finish off the comeback, 80-78, over the Wilmington University men's basketball team on Saturday afternoon inside the Drubner Center.
The Wildcats held an 11-point lead with 5:08 remaining but Post (15-6, 6-4 CACC) stormed back and eventually tied the game at the buzzer, sending the game into overtime. The Eagles also came back from a six-point deficit in the overtime period to steal a victory away from Wilmington.
Trailing 15-14 in the first half, the Wildcats scored nine straight to take a 23-15 lead with 10:04 to play in the half. Skip Burton hit a three-pointer for a 31-24 lead but then the Eagles went on a 13-2 run to end the half and take a 37-33 lead into the lockerroom.
After the Eagles scored first in the second half, the Wildcats went on an 11-0 run, capitalized by a Taalib Holloman fast break dunk to take a 44-39 lead. The lead grew to 54-45 with 7:34 to play and then a layup from Amiri Stewart and a jumper from Taalib Holloman pushed the lead out to 60-49 with 5:08 showing on the clock. The Eagles cut the deficit to five points but the Wildcats were able to keep them at an arm's length until the final minute. Nalik Veasley put in a layup to go up 67-63 with 21 seconds left but the Eagles came right down and scored. The press forced the Wildcats into a turnover and the Eagles had another chance. Stewart blocked a three-point attempt, but Harrison Warnock gathered the rebound, spun, and got a shot off at the buzzer, tying the game and sending it to overtime.
Amiri Stewart and Taalib Holloman scored the first six points of overtime but then the Eagles scored five straight from the free throw line to get back in it with 1:54 to play. The Eagles took the lead with a three-pointer, 75-74, with 1:26 left in overtime, but Holloman hit two free throws to give the Wildcats the lead right back. The Eagles cashed in at the charity stripe once again, taking the lead for good, 77-76, with 58 seconds to play. The Wildcats had two possessions but turned the ball over twice before the Eagles were sent to the line. Down two, Skip Burton missed a layup, and the Eagles iced the game at the other end.
Taalib Holloman paced the Wildcats with 22 points on 9-of-15 shooting, adding four rebounds, and three assists. Amiri Stewart finished with 20 points, six rebounds, two steals, and two blocked shots. Nalik Veasley had a team high eight rebounds while Caleb Matthews scored 11 points to go with five assists and three rebounds. The Wildcats shot 3-for-18 from beyond the three-point line on Saturday.
The Wildcats begin a four-game homestand on Wednesday when they welcome Jefferson to the WU Athletics Complex. The men wrap up the CACC doubleheader with an 8:00 p.m. tip.