Men's Basketball Wins Sixth Straight, 101-79 Over Neumann

(box score)

Senior Perry Wright (Severn, MD) scored 12 of his team-high 19 points in the first half, propelling Widener to an historic 101-79 triumph over Neumann at Schwartz Center for its sixth straight victory.

Widener (10-2) went on a 16-8 run over the last 4 1/2 minutes of the first half to grab a 51-39 lead thanks to five points from senior Brian Smith (Baltimore, MD), who also scored 12 points in the opening half. Wright and Smith each shot 4-of-7 from the floor to help the Pride hit 56 percent (20-of-36) from the field in that span, limit the Knights to only 39 percent (14-of-36) and outscore the visitors 31-6 off the bench.

The Pride then used a 15-4 spurt early in the second half for a 66-45 lead with 15:13 remaining. Junior Lamar Jackson (Philadelphia, PA) poured in seven points in that run, capping it on a 3-pointer.

Wright finished 6-of-11 from the field and is the only player for Widener to score in double figures all 12 games this season. Smith scored 18 points, Jackson netted 14, senior Jack Brennan (Stratford, NJ) poured in 12 and junior Rob McPherson (Bowie, MD) had nine.

Connor Dean (Woodbine, NJ) had career highs of eight points and 10 rebounds with fellow sophomore Bob Makor (Philadelphia, PA) adding eight points for Widener.

The Pride shot a blistering 68 percent (19-of-28) from the floor in the second half and 61 percent (39-of-64) overall.

Patrick O'Connor scored 23 points on 9-of-11 shooting, Branden Harrington netted 11 points with Mark Blount and Gerald Bryant adding 10 apiece for the Knights (5-7), who shot only 43 percent (31-of-72) from the floor for their fourth straight loss.

It is believed to be the first time Widener has scored at least 100 points thrice in a season during its illustrious 102-year history. The squad also recorded a 115-47 win over Penn State Mont Alto on November 18 and a 117-104 triumph at Whittier on December 19.

Widener also extended its longest winning streak since a nine-game spurt late in the 2008-09 season.

Widener on Saturday hits the road to visit DeSales for a 3:00 pm start in Center Valley, PA.

Print Friendly Version