GLENSIDE, Pa. (Feb. 14, 2017) – Junior Sam Smith (Wyomissing, Pa.) scored 24 points, including 21 in the second half, as the Widener University men's basketball team punched its ticket to the Middle Atlantic Conference Commonwealth Tournament with an 83-72 road victory over Arcadia on Tuesday evening at Alumni Gymnasium.
 
Widener improved to 15-9 overall and 9-6 in MAC Commonwealth play with the victory. The team, which has now won eight of its last nine games, also clinched a spot in the league's upcoming postseason tournament for the first time since 2012. Arcadia dropped to 9-15 overall, including 4-11 in league action, with the setback.
 
Widener jumped out to a 7-0 advantage with seniors John Fender (Wallingford, Pa.) and Kendall Green (Mount Laurel, N.J.) providing the scoring. The Knights came back and went ahead by a 16-12 score when Brandon Thompson finished an old-fashioned 3-point play at the free throw line, but the Pride fought back and regained the lead when Fender found Smith for a 3-pointer to make it 18-16 with nine minutes left in the opening half. Freshman Connor Laverty (Upper Township, N.J.) then added a layup in the waning minutes, and the visitors would have a 36-35 edge over the Knights heading into the break.
 
The Pride were able to maintain their lead by the slimmest of margins in the opening minutes of the second half and then burst loose. After Arcadia's Evan Slone converted a layup to create a 41-39 score, Green nailed a trifecta to spark an 11-2 run for the Pride. Smith then caught fire from long range by canning five shots from downtown, including back-to-back baskets to put the Pride ahead by a 70-54 score with just over six minutes remaining, and the team rolled to record its eighth win in the last nine tries.
 
Smith netted a game-high 24 points and led five Widener players in twin figures by shooting 7-of-12 from the floor, including 6-of-9 from long range and a perfect 4-of-4 at the stripe. Green contributed 19 points, while Fender scored 11 points, grabbed eight rebounds, dished out four assists and also finished with three steals.
 
Thompson paced Arcadia with a 15-point effort. Slone fell just shy of a double-double with 10 points and eight boards, and Phil Pierfy provided 13 points for the Knights.
 
Widener will wrap up the regular season with postseason implications for seeding on the line when it visits Alvernia on Saturday, Feb. 18 at 3 p.m.