CHESTER, Pa. (Nov. 18, 2016) - Senior Kendall Green (Mount Laurel, N.J.) and junior Sardayah Sambo (Middletown, Del.) combined to score 43 points in leading the Widener University men's basketball team to a 101-61 rout of Medgar Evers on Friday evening at the Schwartz Center. With the victory, the Pride earned the right to face Rowan in the championship game of the 8th Annual Tip-Off for Autism Awareness Tournament tomorrow afternoon.

Medgar Evers (1-1) opened the scoring when Maurice Swaby II drilled a 3-point field goal on the Cougars' first possession, but Widener responded with a 7-2 run which was capped by a trifecta off the hands of junior Sam Smith (Wyomissing, Pa.) and never trailed for the remainder of the contest.
 
After the opening 12 minutes were tightly contested, the Pride began a scoring surge when Sambo finished a pass from sophomore Nick Jackson (Rockville, Md.) to break a 22-22 tie. Sambo then drove in for two consecutive dunks which were set up by Green to make it 30-22, and Green extended the margin to twin figures at 35-25 by stealing the ball from Shaquan Mitchell and finishing on the other end with 4:42 on the clock before drilling an ensuing free throw. The Pride would build their lead up to as many as 17 and led by 15 at the break.
 
Widener controlled the second half and had 10 players tally points before the end of the evening. Another dunk by Sambo which was once again set up by Green energized the crowd and created a 58-36 score before freshman Elijah Boyd (Germantown, Md.) hit two treys to balloon the lead to 30 at 78-48 just past the midway point of the frame. Sophomores Jalen Howard (Baltimore, Md.) and Donovan Simon (Clayton, N.J.) each registered their first career points during the scoring spree, and Howard would eventually put the Pride over the 100-point plateau with a trifecta from the left arc in the final minute.
 
Sambo finished the game with 21 points by shooting a perfect 10-for-10 from the field and adding a free throw in just 19 minutes of action for Widener, which scored in triple digits for the first time since netting 100 at Stevenson on Jan. 4, 2014. He also contributed four rebounds and three blocks. Green led all scorers with 22 points while also finishing with six assists and seven boards. Senior John Fender (Wallingford, Pa.) registered 10 points off the bench, while freshman Connor Laverty (Upper Township, N.J.) added nine points in his collegiate debut.
 
Swaby II led three Medgar Evers players in twin figures with 18 points. Joevanny Dambreville notched 12 points and eight rebounds, and Justin Sutton finished with 10.
 
Widener (1-0) will next face Rowan in the championship game of the 8th Annual Tip-Off for Autism Awareness Tournament on Saturday afternoon at 4 p.m. after Medgar Evers and Farmingdale State square off in the consolation game earlier in the day.