(box score)
Junior Jack Brennan (Stratford, NJ) scored a team-high 18 points and helped jumpstart a big run for Widener, which staved off a furious battle from Arcadia for a 65-62 Commonwealth Conference win at Schwartz Center.
Arcadia used a 7-1 run to turn a 40-40 tie into its biggest lead, 47-41 with 8:16 left. Damien Palentino opened things with a 3-pointer.
Widener responded with a 14-4 spurt in just under four minutes for a 55-51 cushion with 4:33 remaining. Brennan began the run with a layup as he and senior Jarrell Nelson (Waldorf, MD) had four points apiece.
Palentino canned another 3-pointer with 3:40 to go, bringing the Knights to 55-54. But freshman Andrew Radomicki (Media, PA) drilled a huge 3-pointer with 3:18 left for a 58-54 contest and, following a series of empty possessions, hit two free throws with 71 seconds remaining for a six-point game.
Brennan, who ended the contest with eight rebounds, capped the 7-0 run courtesy of two free throws with 37 seconds to play. He closed the game shooting 7-of-9 from the floor to help the Pride hit 47 percent (23-of-49) overall.
Radomicki scored 11 points and junior BJ Smith (Baltimore, MD) hauled in 10 rebounds for Widener, which held a 39-32 edge on the boards.
Palentino did all he could, shooting 7-of-15 from 3-point range to end with 25 points. Colin McCarthy scored 11 points and Darrell Mills added 10 for Arcadia (5-18, 0-13 CC), which shot 37 percent (23-of-62) from the field.
Widener (12-12, 7-6) is in a three-way tie with Elizabethtown and Albright for third place in the league. To clinch a spot in the four-team conference tournament, Widener on Saturday must defeat Lycoming and hope either Elizabethtown loses to Arcadia or Albright falls to Messiah.
The Pride's contest on Senior Day starts at 3:00 pm.
