WILMINGTON, Del. - - Big runs at the end of the first half and beginning of the second half allowed the Wilmington University men's basketball team to overcome a double-digit lead and defeat D'Youville, 97-77, on Saturday afternoon inside the Joseph West Jones Center on the campus of Goldey-Beacom College.
D'Youville (1-1) led 32-20 midway through the first half, but then the Wildcats (1-1) stormed back and held a halftime lead and led by as many as 21 points on their way to their first victory of the 2024-25 season.
Bridgeport went on a 19-8 run to grab their largest lead of the game, 32-20m with 9:50 remaining in the half. The Wildcats answered with an 8-0 run of their own, getting to within 33-30 with 5:53 showing on the clock. Manir Waller hit a three-pointer to get within 35-33, and then Justin Perez hit a three-pointer to get within 37-36 with 3:59 on the clock. Justin Perez stopped and hit a three-pointer on the break, giving the Wildcats their first lead, 41-39, with 3:07 left.
With the game tied, 41-41, Jaylin Horsey hit a three-pointer to give the Wildcats the lead once more. They would not relinquish the lead the rest of the game. They finished the half on a 10-2 run, capped by another Waller three-pointer, to take a 51-43 lead into the halftime break.
Tre Hawkins sparked an early second half run with a dunk and then an old-fashioned three-point play gave the Wildcats a 10-point lead, 59-49, for the first time. Justin Perez' pull-up jumper with 14:11 left sparked a 9-0 run for the Wildcats, as Izaiah Credle hit a three-pointer and Hamahrie Bowers put back a miss to give the Wildcats a 73-53 lead with 12:33 to play.
The Saints cut the deficit in half with 7:06 left, getting within 10, 78-68, and again at 80-70. But the Wildcats didn't crack, holding onto the lead and quickly extending the lead back out to their largest lead of the game, 91-70, with four minutes to play.
Six Wildcats finished in double figures, led by Justin Perez' 15 points on 6-of-8 shooting. Izaiah Credle scored 14 points on 4-of-6 shooting while Skip Burton hit three three-pointers and finished with 13 points and five assists. Tre Hawkins poured in 13 points on 5-of-7 shooting, adding four rebounds and four assists as well. Hamahrie Bowers shot a perfect 5-of-5 from the floor and finished with 12 points while Jaylin Horsey came off the bench and scored 11 points. Denim Perkins scored nine points while dishing out a game-high seven assists.
The Wildcats shot 60.3 percent from the floor for the game, hitting 12-of-24 from beyond the three-point arc.
Wilmington makes its home debut with their next game, hosting Shippensburg on Wednesday night at the WU Athletics Complex. The opening tip is set for 7:30 p.m.