WEST CHESTER, Pa. - - A hot shooting first half carried West Chester to a 92-78 nonconference victory over the Wilmington University men's basketball team on Saturday afternoon inside Hollinger Field House.
West Chester picked up its first win of the season after starting hot, shooting 56.8 percent from the floor in the first half, hitting six three-pointers and scoring 51 points. The Wildcats (1-3) weren't far off in the first half, shooting 42.4 percent from the floor with three three-pointers and 7-of-8 from the foul line, but it was hard to get stops against the Golden Rams in the opening 20 minutes.
Skip Burton hit a three-pointer to give the Wildcats a 13-12 lead and then Hamahrie Bowers put in a layup to regain a 15-14 lead with 14:14 showing on the clock. The Golden Rams came right down and hit a three-pointer, ultimately taking the lead for good. A 7-0 run gave the Rams a 21-14 lead and then a three-pointer with 9:01 to play in the half gave the Golden Rams their first double-digit lead, 32-22. The Wildcats eventually got the deficit back to single digits with a Tre Hawkins dunk, 47-38, but then the Rams scored the final four points of the half to go into the break leading 51-38.
A Hamahrie Bowers free throw brought the Wildcats to within 57-46 with 16:01 to play, but then the Golden Rams used an 18-7 run to take their first 20-point lead, 75-53, with 10:15 on the clock. The Wildcats would get the game to within 14 points with under a minute to play, but it was too little too late as the Golden Rams picked up their first win of the year.
Skip Burton set a career-high with 22 points on Saturday, shooting 7-of-13 from the floor including 4-of-6 from deep. He also added five rebounds and three assists. Tre Hawkins scored 12 points to go with seven rebounds while Justin Perez scored 10 points to go with seven rebounds and three assists. Hamahrie Bowers scored 11 points off the bench while Denim Perkins came on and dished out eight assists off the bench.
The Wildcats will play their third straight game against PSAC opponents on Tuesday night, as they travel to Millersville for another road contest. The opening tip is set for 7:00 p.m.