BRIDGEPORT, Conn. - - Trailing by 17 points early in the second half, the Wilmington University men's basketball team stormed back to capture a 77-75 Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference road victory on Saturday afternoon inside Hubbell Gymnasium.
The Wildcats (4-11, 2-1 CACC) used a 15-2 run in the beginning stages of the second half to claw back into the game, after trailing by 17 points with 17:22 remaining in the game. The Purple Knights (7-8, 2-2 CACC) were held to just 13-of-25 shooting in the second half, including 0-for-8 from deep.
Bridgeport raced out to a 9-0 lead but then didn't take their first double-digit lead until 23-13 with 11 minutes left in the first half. The first half lead grew to 35-20 with 3:27 to play and then Bridgeport took its largest lead of the game, 40-22, with 2:26 on the clock. Down 42-24, the Wildcats outscored the Purple Knights, 8-3, the rest of the half, trailing, 45-32, at the break.
A pair of layups early in the second half pushed the Purple Knights' lead out to 51-34 with 17:22 to play. But that is when the Wildcats started their comeback.
Justin Perez started a run with a layup and a three-pointer before Jaylin Horsey hit another three-pointer to bring the Wildcats to within 51-42. Manir Waller hit back-to-back layups and then Perez added another layup and the Wildcats were within 53-49 with 13:54 to play.
Bridgeport briefly recovered and took a 66-56 lead with 9:12 on the clock but then Denim Perkins, Tre Hawkins, and Waller all hit buckets to bring the Wildcats to within 68-64 with 6:12 to play. Perez brought the Wildcats to within 71-68 with four straight points and the Denim Perkins hit a pair from the line to cut the deficit to a single point, 71-70, with 2:23 left.
Bridgeport answered with a dunk, but Justin Perez came right down and hit a triple, tying the game with 1:30 to play. The defense forced a turnover and out of a timeout, Tre Hawkins put in a layup to give the Wildcats their first lead of the second half, 75-73, with 59 seconds left. Bridgeport tied it with a layup, but Denim Perkins was fouled on the ensuing possession, hitting the first free throw. Bridgeport had two cracks at the lead, but two missed both shots. Justin Perez hit his second free throw for the two-point lead, 77-75, and Bridgeport couldn't knock down the last second three-pointer as the Wildcats pulled out the victory.
Justin Perez led the Wildcats with 18 points while adding six rebounds and four assists. Jaylin Horsey came off the bench to score 17 points with four three-pointers. Manir Waller scored 13 points with six rebounds, five assists, and three steals. Tre Hawks finished with 10 points and four rebounds.
The Wildcats look to carry momentum into their next game, returning home to take on Jefferson on Tuesday night. The Wildcats will cap the CACC doubleheader with an 8:00 p.m. tip-off at the WU Athletics Complex.