(box score)
Junior Perry Wright (Severn, MD) was the force behind a key first-half run that helped Widener en route to a 65-45 victory at Arcadia in the schools Commonwealth Conference opener in Glenside, PA.
Wright scored the first nine points of an 11-0 spurt that gave Widener a 34-24 lead with 1:16 left in the opening half. He began the run with a 3-pointer and hit all four of his shots during that stretch.
Wright finished the half with 11 points on 5-of-6 shooting for the Pride (4-2, 1-0 CC), who connected on 54 percent (15-of-28) from the field in that span and limited the Knights to only 42 percent (10-of-24).
The Knights (2-4, 0-1) looked to make a game of it, closing to 36-31 just three minutes into the second half on Damian Palantino's 3-pointer. But the Pride got it together with a 13-2 run in just under six minutes for a 49-33 cushion with 11:12 to play. Senior Chris McDevitt (Doylestown, PA) scored four points in the spurt and freshman Andrew Radomicki (Media, PA) canned a 3-pointer.
Junior Jack Brennan (Stratford, NJ) scored 14 points, marking the third straight game he has led Widener in points, and has hit double figures in all six games this season by averaging 14.8 points per contest. Wright poured in 13 points, McDevitt scored 11 and Radomicki added 10 for the Pride, who shot a season-best 56 percent (28-of-50) from the floor.
Colin McCarthy scored 12 points off the bench with Palantino and Jose Ortiz adding 10 points for the Knights, who shot only 37 percent (17-of-46) and were 4-of-11 from beyond the arc.
Widener has taken all five meetings from Arcadia since the two became league opponents in 2008.
Widener on Saturday hosts Messiah at 3:00 pm as part of a doubleheader with the women's team. The first game commences at 1:00 pm.
