GLENSIDE, Pa. – The Widener University men's basketball team took down the fourth ranked team in the Middle Atlantic Region on Tuesday night, defeating the Arcadia Knights 71-66. The defense shined, holding one of the best shooting teams in the MAC Commonwealth to just 36 percent from the field.
Widener came out aggressive, opening the game with a 10-2 run, capped off by a
Connor Laverty jumper at the 17:10 mark. The Pride held a slight advantage throughout most of the first half. The Knights brought it to within one with 8:30 remaining, but a
Jared Peters three-pointer (assisted by
Ryan McMahon) sparked a mini 6-0 outburst to create some breathing room for the Blue and Gold. A pair of
Kenny Lewis free-throws put WU up eight heading into the locker room.
Keeping the pressure, the Pride jumped out to its biggest lead of the night nearly three minutes into the second. Lewis and Laverty teamed up on a dunk to put Widener up 13. Eight straight points from Arcadia prevented the Pride from the busting the game open. WU never regained a double-digit lead and held a 65-63 advantage with 1:31 left in regulation. Widener struggled to find an open shot on the possession, swinging the ball around for 25 seconds until
Jared Peters hit a dagger from deep as the shot clock was winding down. On the very next play,
Elijah Boyd forced an offensive foul on an Arcadia three-point attempt, giving WU the ball back and essentially sealing the game. Free-throws from Peters cemented the final score.
By The Numbers
- Laverty did it all, finishing with 18 points, six rebounds, four assists, two blocks, and a steal.
- Peters was efficient, scoring 17 points on 50 percent shooting
- Boyd had 12 points and four dimes
- Jalen Howard was perfect from the field, going 4-4 for nine points
- The team tied a season-high in blocked shots with five
- 43 rebounds in a game ties a season-high set by the Pride in the game against Arcadia earlier in the year
Up next
Widener plays its final game of the regular season on Saturday, February 16 at Lycoming. Tip-off is scheduled for 3:00 p.m.
