ANNVILLE, Pa. – A late second half surge keyed by hot shooting led the Widener University men's basketball team to a 91-78 victory against the Lebanon Valley Dutchmen in a MAC Commonwealth battle on Wednesday night.
 
The Pride started the game on fire, hitting its first seven shots from the floor, which included five from three-point range to take a 19-9 lead just four minutes into the contest. A 14-6 run by the Dutchmen cut the lead to a pair by the midway mark of the half. Widener recovered to go back up 44-37, but an 8-0 run by LVC ended the frame, giving them the lead heading into the locker room.
 
A tough shooting start to the second half for both teams allowed the Dutchmen to hold the Pride at arms' length for the opening nine minutes of the second stanza. The tide began to turn for Widener with a 7-0 run to take a 64-62 lead. With the score tied at 70-70 with 6:30 remaining, the Blue and Gold went on a deciding 12-0 run to take control of the contest.
 
HIGHLIGHTS

• Tyler Drews led the Pride with 25 points, hitting on 11-of-17 shots from the floor.
• Elijah Boyd dropped 17 for Widener. Sam Smith also was in double figures with 12 points and a team-leading six rebounds.
• Sardayah Sambo had a good all-around game with 14 points, six assists, and four blocks.
• The Pride shot 55.6 percent for the contest.

 
FIRST HALF NOTES

• Widener couldn't miss in the first five minutes, going 7-for-7 from the floor, five of them from beyond the arc as it opened a 19-9 lead just more than four minutes into the contest. Boyd scored the final nine points of the run, hitting a trio of treys.
• After the Dutchmen made it 25-23, the Pride recovered, using a 10-4 run to go back up by eight.
• Leading 44-37, Widener saw LVC score the final eight points of the frame, all by Sam Light with six of them coming from the line.
• The Blue and Gold shot 51.6 percent for the half overall, delivering 12 assists on 16 field goals.

 
SECOND HALF NOTES

• Both teams struggled to shoot the ball early as LVC extended its lead to 62-57 near the midway mark of the period with Widener hitting just 31.3 percent from the floor.
• The Blue and Gold woke up in a big way as a Sambo slam ignited a 33-16 closing run in which Widener hit 14 of its final 16 field goal attempts.
• Drews scored 15 of his points after intermission with Sambo chipping in nine.

 
UP NEXT
Widener continues MAC Commonwealth play with a home date against Stevenson on Saturday, Feb. 3 at 3:00 p.m.