WATERBURY, Conn. - - The Wilmington University men's basketball game had the game at three points with 16:51 remaining in regulation but Post University was too strong down the stretch, coming away with an 80-60 Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference victory on Saturday afternoon at the Drubner Center.
Four players scored in double figures for the Wildcats (0-7, 0-3 CACC) as they faced a five point deficit after the halftime break, but it was Post that surged ahead in the second half, outscoring the visitors 47-32 to run away with the contest.
Post (7-1, 3-0 CACC), who received six votes in the latest National Association of Basketball Coaches Division II Men's Basketball Poll, shot 44.1 percent for the contest with the deciding factor coming from beyond the three-point arc. The Eagles went 14-for-32 from three point land while the Wildcats only hit 4-of-15. Wilmington went 23-for-56 (41.1 percent) from the field for the game.
The score was as close as 45-39 with 14:41 to play in the second half after Isiah Mason hit his lone three pointer of the game but the Eagles, who led wire to wire, responded with an 11-4 run to extend the lead out to 13 with only 11:14 showing on the scoreboard.
An Eagle three-pointer pushed the lead to 17 points at 68-51 with 6:38 remaining in the contest before Shai Henry and Mason hit back-to-back jumpers, but it was too little too late for the Wildcats as they were unable to get the deficit any closer than 13 in the final five minutes of action.
Junior captain Herb Dennis led the Wildcat offense with 13 points, shooting 5-of-14 from the floor, including a 1-for-5 mark from three-point territory. Mason went 4-for-8 from the floor and 2-for-2 from the foul line to score 11 points, while big-man Brandon Fox added 11 points (5-for-5 from the foul line) while adding a team high four assists. James Pee added 10 points for the Wildcats, hitting 2-for-4 from three-point territory to lead the team.
Both teams grabbed 29 defensive rebounds, but the Eagles were able to snag three more offensive rebounds to lead the Wildcats 39-36 on the glass for the game. The Wildcats turned the ball over 16 times, leading to an 18-2 advantage for the Eagles in points off turnovers.
The Eagles were led by four players who reached double digits, including Jake Wilcox who dished out 10 assists. Jerry Cummings finished with a game high 20 points followed by Devin Willis and Zach Krischer who tallied 18 points each. Stephen Perry came off the bench to add 17 points, hitting five three-pointers. Krischer and Willis each hit four from beyond the three-point arc.
After a three game road swing that included an exhibition bout with NCAA Division I Howard, the Wildcats return to the WU Athletics Complex on Tuesday for another CACC doubleheader. The men will open the doubleheader against Chestnut Hill with the opening tip scheduled for 6 p.m.