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The Widener University men's basketball team wraps regular season play and hosts Senior Day, taking on the Alvernia Golden Wolves in a MAC Commonwealth battle on Saturday, Feb. 17 at 3:00 p.m.

Last Time Out
Tyler Drews followed up his career night with a 21 point, nine rebound effort as the Widener University men's basketball team kept its playoff hopes alive with an 86-70 victory against the Arcadia Knights on Tuesday evening.
 
HIGHLIGHTS

 
With the game knotted early on, the Pride used a 19-3 run to open a 24-8 lead midway through the first half. The Knights closed the game back to single digits within the next few minutes, but Widener tallied 16 of the final 22 points in the frame to take a 43-24 lead into halftime.
 
After trading baskets to open the second period, the Pride took control with an 11-3 spurt to open a 56-30 advantage five minutes into the stanza. The Blue and Gold held Arcadia at arms' length the rest of the game as the Knights did not cut the lead under 20 until the waning minutes of the contest.
 
Scouting Report
Alvernia enters play 12-12 overall and 7-8 in the MAC Commonwealth following a 68-64 win against Stevenson on Tuesday. The Golden Wolves have seen their fortunes turn since changing over to the new year with a 9-4 record since the beginning of 2018. 

Four players average double figures for Alvernia, led by Mike Miller at 15.2 points an outing. Alex Sipped is second on the team at 13.5 a night and is among the league leaders with 3.0 assists per game. Following Shippen are Nick Youngkin and Calil Moultrie, tallying 12.5 and 12.1 per contest respectively. Kyle Gordon leads AU with 8.9 rebounds a game, ranking third in the MAC Commonwealth, while scoring 8.5 a contest. 

One area where Alvernia has excelled this season is in holding on to the basketball. The Golden Wolves lead the conference and are ninth in NCAA Division III in turnovers per game at 10.8. That is juxtaposed by their rebounding margin of -4.2, which is last in the MAC Commonwealth and ranks in the bottom fifth in the nation. 

Mike Miller is in his 14th season as the head coach of the Golden Wolves with a record of 247-130. He has guided Alvernia to five 20-win seasons and six trips to the NCAA Tournament, reaching the second round in 2013. 

Last Time Against Alvernia
Jared Peters recorded a career-high scoring total for the second straight game, netting 19, but  Widener  saw its five-game winning streak snapped, falling 78-66 on Jan. 10, 2018. Sardayah Sambo had 11 points and led Widener with eight rebounds. Elijah Boyd chipped in 10. Ryan McMahon and Tyler Drews scored eight each.

So You're Saying There's A Chance...
Heading into the final game of the regular season, the Pride remains in contention for the final postseason berth in the MAC Commonwealth. In order to claim a spot in the First Round game on Monday, Widener must beat Alvernia and all of the following must happen:

Oh, What A Night!
Tyler Drews had a game for the ages at Hood on Saturday. His 40 points, 15 field goals, and 10 three-pointers are the most for a Widener player since prior to the 2005-06 season. It was just the second 40-plus point game this season in the MAC Commonwealth (Sam Light - LVC - 41 vs. Cairn - Nov. 15) and his 10 treys ae the most in the conference in  single game this season and rank ninth in NCAA Division III. 

Props
For his effort, not just against Hood, Drews was named the MAC Commonwealth Player of the Week for the first time this season. Overall in two games he averaged 27.0 points and 5.0 rebounds. 

Welcome To The Club
With 10 points against Hood, Sardayah Sambo became the 12th player in the history of the program (that dates to the 1905-06 season) to score 1,300 career points.

Up Next
The Pride awaits the results of Saturday's action to determine potential MAC Commonwealth Championship play as well as an ECAC Tournament berth.