MIAMI, Fla. – Jalen Howard posted 14 points, eight rebounds, and three steals, but the Widener University men's basketball team fell to Eastern Connecticut State 74-69 at the HoopMIA D3 Holiday Shootout on Tuesday afternoon.
 
BY THE NUMBERS

• Connor Laverty led the Pride with 15 points.
• Ryan McMahon added 11 points, seven rebounds, and four assists.
• Tyler Drews also reached double figures, tallying 10. Jared Peters and Elijah Boyd had nine and eight each.
• Widener struggled from beyond the arc, connecting on just 5-of-24 attempts including 1-for-13 in the first half.
• The Blue and Gold came up with nine steals and five blocks in the game.

 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• WU got off to a quick start, taking an early 7-2 lead, connecting on three of its first five shots.
• ECSU seized control and went on an 18-4 run, opening a 20-11 edge midway through the first half.
• The Pride clawed back in the game and pulled to 30-28 on a steal and score from A. J. Sawyers just before halftime.
• Eastern Connecticut looked to take command coming out of the locker room, opening the second stanza scoring nine of the first 12 points, opening a 39-31 lead less than two minutes in.
• Undaunted, the Pride roared back, taking a 49-48 lead on a Peters free throw with 10:03 left in the contest.
• In an ebb and flow game, the Warriors had the next push, establishing their largest lead of the night at 61-51 with 6:27 remaining.
• Widener battled back one last time, chopping the lead to 67-65 on a three-pointer from Howard at the 2:38 mark, but ECSU held on down the stretch.

 
UP NEXT
The Pride is back in action on Wednesday, December 19 when it takes on Case Western Reserve University. Tipoff is scheduled for 2:00 p.m.