CHESTER, Pa. – The Widener University men's basketball team broke open a tie ballgame midway through the first half as the Pride opened its season with a resounding 95-64 victory against the Bryn Athyn Lions at the Widener Tip-Off Tournament for Autism Awareness on Friday night.
 
Leading three Pride players in double figures was Tyler Drews with 19 points on the strength of a 4-for-6 performance from beyond the arc. Nick Jackson and Jalen Howard each contributed 14 points with Howard's total representing a career-high. Connor Laverty narrowly missed a double-double in the game, tallying nine points and pulling in a team high 11 rebounds. He also topped the Blue and Gold with five assists.
 
All told, every player on the roster saw at least seven minutes of action and contributed either a point or a rebound.
 
Tied at 15-15 at the 13:16 mark of the first half, a free throw from Elijah Boyd ignited a 33-0 run for Widener, spanning 8:47. During the run, the Pride connected on 11-17 shots from the field and 9-of-11 at the line, holding the Lions to 0-for-14 shooting and forcing seven Bryn Athyn turnovers. During the spurt, Jackson led the Blue and Gold with seven points while Laverty and Sardayah Sambo each had six. The rest of the frame was evenly played as Widener took a 61-27 lead into halftime.
 
Opening the second half, the Pride scored the first seven points and eventually extended the lead to as many as 49 at 88-39 with 7:24 remaining in the contest. The Lions battled back, ending the game on a 25-7 run, scoring the final 11 points to cement the final score.
 
With the win, Widener will play for the championship of the Tip-Off Tournament where it will face Rosemont who had a thrilling buzzer beater to down York (NY). Game time is set for 4:00 p.m.