WILMINGTON, Del. - - The Wilmington University men's basketball team nearly overcame a 24-point second half deficit, but Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference South Division rival Goldey-Beacom hung on late for an 87-85 victory on Saturday afternoon at the Joseph West Jones Center.
Goldey-Beacom (2-7, 1-1 CACC) led 64-40 with 15:29 to play in the second half before the Wildcats (2-7, 1-1 CACC) stormed back. They fought all the way back to tie the game, 79-79, with 2:05 to play, but Goldey-Beacom scored the next five points and hit free throws down the stretch to secure the victory.
Jaylin Horsey hit a three-pointer and Tre Hawkins put in a dunk to give the Wildcats a 16-11 lead with 14:41 to play in the first half. The Lightning used a 9-0 run to retake the lead and then another 7-0 spurt to take a 33-23 lead with 8:33 left on the clock. The Lightning lead grew to as many as 13 down the stretch of the half and then they hit a three-pointer on their final possession to take a 51-35 lead into the break.
Goldey-Beacom took their first 20-point lead with a three-pointer, 59-39, with 16:43 to play and then another three-pointer gave the Lightning their largest lead of the night, 64-40, with 15:29 left in the game. Jaylin Horsey answered immediately with a three-pointer and was fouled, starting a long rally to get back into the contest with a four-point play.
Manir Waller started a 13-0 run with a layup and then Horsey added the next nine points before Waller bookended the run with a layup, bringing the Wildcats back into the contest, 66-58 with 11:32 to play. Another 8-0 run brought the Wildcats to within a bucket, getting four points from Justin Perez and then a steal and a dunk from Hamahrie Bowers to get to within 68-66 with 9:02 to play.
The Lightning extended the lead back out to seven, 79-72, but then Tre Hawkins had a 5-0 run before Justin Perez tied the game, 79-79, with a pair of free throws with 2:05 to play. Goldey-Beacom had an offensive putback to retake the lead, and then a foul on a three-point shot, the second of the second half against the Wildcats, gave the Lightning an 84-79 lead with 36 seconds left. The teams traded free throws before Izaiah Credle settled the score with a three-pointer at the buzzer, 87-85.
Tre Hawkins led the Wildcats with 23 points on 8-of-10 shooting, adding 7-of-10 from the foul line and a team high seven rebounds. Jaylin Horsey came off the bench and scored 19 points while hitting all three of his three-pointers and going 8-of-9 from the foul line. Manir Waller and Justin Perez scored 12 points each with Perez adding five rebounds and Waller adding four assists.
The Wildcats finished CACC play prior to the Holiday Break on Saturday but had four nonconference games remaining prior to the New Year. They start with a home game against Pace on Tuesday night. The opening tip is set for 7:00 p.m. at the WU Athletics Complex.