CHESTER, Pa. – Down 48-33 with 14:46 remaining in the second half, the Widener University men's basketball team used a 27-0 run (yes, you read that correctly) spanning eight minutes and 59 seconds to take down the Catholic University Cardinals 79-67 on Wednesday night.

The result marked the first 5-0 start for the Pride since the 2013-14 season.

Highlights

• Connor Laverty dropped 20 points on 66.7 percent shooting. He was 3-4 from deep and a +23 in the box score. He added three steals and two assists.
• Jared Peters had 15 points and five rebounds.
• Steven Matlack had a career-night, scoring 13 points and providing a much needed spark off the bench with six rebounds, four steals, and two assists in 22 minutes.
• AJ Sawyers recorded eight points, five boards, and two steals.
• Elijah Boyd netted 10 points in 20 minutes, going 3-5 from three-point range.
• Widener went 15-23 from the field in the second half for a 65.2 percent clip.

How it happened
Back-to-back three pointers from Boyd and Laverty created a 6-0 cushion for the Pride to start the game. Catholic jumped out in front 10-9 near the 15-minute mark and maintained the edge for the remainder of the half, stretching their lead to seven roughly five minutes before the intermission. A Laverty layup at 3:27 cut the deficit to four. Catholic closed the half on an 8-0 run, heading into the locker rooms with a 37-25 advantage.

Two quick buckets by the Cardinals stretched the lead to 16. Boyd and Pat Holden provided the next four points, bringing it back down to 12. The teams traded baskets before Widener's incredible run. Jared Peters got it going with a layup at 14:29. He was responsible for the following five points, making it 48-40 Cardinals. Matlack evened the score at 48, converting on a tough and-one in the process. His free-throw gave Widener its first lead since the 16:51 mark in the first half. WU never looked back.

Laverty had two four-point plays in the second half. The first play built the Pride's lead to 10. The second essentially sealed the victory, creating a 12-point margin with three minutes left to play. The Blue and Gold held a double-digit advantage the rest of the way.

Up next
Widener hosts Misericordia on Monday, November 25 at 7:00 p.m.