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NEWARK, Del. - - A first half turnaround snapped a five-game losing streak for the Wilmington University men's basketball team, defeating Georgian Court, 92-71, in the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference opener on Tuesday night at the WU Athletics Complex.
The Lions (1-7, 0-1 CACC) jumped out to a 9-0 lead to start the game, but it was a Wildcats' (2-6, 1-0 CACC) 10-0 spurt that gave the home team the lead for good. They turned a one-point deficit into a nine-point lead, 34-25, with 5:30 to play in the first half.
The full court pressure allowed the Wildcats to get out of the early deficit, eventually tying the game, 16-16, on a Manir Waller fast break layup. A personal 6-0 run by Manir Waller gave the Wildcats a 22-20 lead and then a Lions' three-pointer put the game on a see-saw, 26-25 with 8:35 to play.
Tre Hawkins had eight points during a 10-0 run to take a 34-25 lead and then the Wildcats used an 11-3 run to end the half, getting a Jaylin Horsey three-pointer with under 10-seconds left to take a 45-31 lead into the break.
The run continued into the second half as Justin Perez took over, starting the second stanza on a personal 11-0 run, including a four-point play. The final fast break layup gave the Wildcats their largest lead of the game, 56-31, with 17:41 to play.
The Lions got the deficit down to as few as 15 points with 7:42 showing the board and then used an 8-1 spurt to get as close as 83-71 with 4:03 remaining. But the Wildcats responded, scoring the next nine to close out the game, with another Jaylin Horsey three-pointer as the dagger, 91-71, with 1:20 to play.
Jayllin Horsey led all scorers with 27 points, shooting 7-of-11 from three-point land, the most in a game in Wilmington history since Caleb Matthews hit seven at Goldey-Beacom on February 26, 2022, tied for second all-time. Horsey shot 8-of-14 from the floor altogether. Justin Perez collected 23 points on 8-of-11 shooting while Tre Hawkins collected a double-double in the first half and finished with 17 points and 13 rebounds. Manir Waller chipped in with 14 points on 6-of-7 shooting, adding 7 rebounds and four assists. Denim Perkins dished out 10 assists, the most since Jermaine Head had 10 at Chestnut Hill on February 4, 2020, tied for fifth all-time. Perkins also added five points and five steals in the game.
The Wildcats make the short trip to Goldey-Beacom for their next contest, taking on the Lightning on Saturday at 3:00 p.m. in the Joseph West Jones Center.