A turnaround jumper from the right block with 2.3 seconds showing on the scoreboard gave Felician the 78-76 Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference victory over the Wilmington University men's basketball team on Saturday afternoon at Job Gym.
The loss is the third in a row for the Wildcats (8-18, 7-10 CACC) but they remain 1.5 games ahead of crosstown rival Goldey-Beacom for fourth in the South Division thanks to Caldwell's victory over the Lightning today. Felician (5-17, 5-11 CACC) won its second game in a row thanks to Jeyvi Miavivululu's jumper in the waning seconds.
Felician controlled the contest early, taking as large as an eight-point lead with 10:21 to play in the first half. The Wildcats scored the next 11 points starting with a Tyaire Ponzo-Meek jumper and capped by a layup by Rashaun Rasheed to take a 27-24 lead with 6:43 to play in the opening half.
The Wildcats broke the third tie of the first half with a layup by Kevin Ohen with 1:41 to play before Rasheed sent the Wildcats into the halftime break with a 40-36 lead.
The Wildcats held onto the lead through the beginning portion of the second half, taking as large as a five-point lead with 15:39 to play. But Felician battled back and eventually took their first lead of the second half, 51-49 with 13:43 left in regulation.
The rest of the second half was closely contested, as the game was tied a total of five times through the second 20-minutes.
Tyirk Gass gave the Wildcats a 73-70 lead with a layup with 1:32 to play but Miavivuulu regained the lead for the home team with a jumper with 34 seconds to play.
The Golden Falcon lead grew to 76-73 with 20 seconds left but Ponzo-Meek was fouled on a three-point shot, sending him to the foul line with a chance to tie the game with 15 seconds to play. The sophomore hit all three from the charity stripe, setting up the final possession for Felician.
Miavivululu hit his turnaround jumper from outside the right block with 2.3 seconds to play, giving him a team high 25 points for the afternoon. Valentino Thompson's desperation heave at the buzzer fell short of the rim, giving the victory to Felician.
The Wildcats had five student-athletes in double digits, led by Ponzo-Meek's 20 points and three steals. Thompson finished with 16 points and five assists while Ohen tallied 11 points and a team high six rebounds. Both Sam Sanders and Rasheed came off the bench to tally 10 points.
The Wildcats shot 43.9 percent from the floor, 16-of-35 in the first half. They hit 7-of-23 from beyond the three-point arc while also hitting 11-of-14 from the foul line. Felician shot 49.1 percent from the floor including 14-of-25 from the floor in the second half for the comeback. The Golden Falcons hit 7-of-14 from deep while also getting to the line more, 17-of-21 for the game.
The Wildcats remain on the road for one more game, a crucial contest at crosstown rivals Goldey-Beacom on Tuesday. The Wildcats have two CACC contests remaining and hold a 1.5 game lead over the Lightning (5-11 CACC) after Saturday's games.
The men cap the CACC doubleheader on Tuesday in Wilmington and are scheduled to tip-off at approximately 8 p.m.