(boxscore)
Four players scored in double figures, leading Widener to a 77-58 Commonwealth Conference triumph at Messiah in Grantham, PA for its sixth straight victory and 14th 20-win season in school history.
Senior Nyere Miller (Washington, DC) netted eight points during a stretch when Widener scored 20 consecutive points for a 36-11 lead with 1:17 left. The defense also shined in that span, holding the Falcons without a basket for nine minutes.
Miller scored 13 points in the first half and junior Jamarr Johnson (Pittsgrove, NJ) netted 12 for the Pride (20-5, 10-2), who shot 52 percent (16-of-31) from the floor for a 40-15 lead. Miller's effort included a thrilling steal of an inbounds pass and quick jumper at the buzzer.
The Falcons (9-16, 6-6) hit only 14 percent (3-of-21) from the field and were 0-of-9 from 3-point range.
Johnson poured in 18 points on 8-of-10 shooting, senior Charles Jones (Philadelphia, PA) netted 14, Miller added 13 and senior Matt Sosna (Stratford, NJ) had 12 and seven rebounds for the Pride. The visitors shot 48 percent (28-of-59) from the floor
Jason Miller and Mike Shaker scored 10 points apiece for Messiah, which shot only 37 percent (20-of-54) from the field.
These teams battle again in Chester in the conference semifinals with Widener being the top seed and Messiah fourth. Tip-off Wednesday at Schwartz Center is 7:00 pm.
