Game Info: Thursday, February 25 - 7:00 p.m.
Location: Sorrentino Gymnasium - Annville, Pa.
Game Info: Friday, February 26 - 7:00 p.m.
Location: Schwartz Center - Chester, Pa.
Social Media: @WidenerSports |
@WidenerMBB
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Opening Tip
Widener takes on the Lebanon Valley Dutchmen in another back-to-back series, traveling to Annville on Thursday, February 25, and returning to the Schwartz Center on Friday, February 26. Both games are set to tip off at 7 p.m.
Friday vs. Albright - Holden Hits Game Winner In Overtime As @WidenerMBB Advances To 3-0
The Widener University men's basketball team advanced to 3-0 after a thrilling overtime win against Albright. With time winding down in OT,
Pat Holden hit the game winner at the buzzer to give the Pride an 81-79 victory.
GAME NOTES
- Pat Holden led all players on the court with a career-high 19 points on 5-of-9 shooting and knocked down 90 percent of his free throws. He also grabbed four rebounds and dished out four assists.
- Kenny Lewis topped the Blue and Gold in rebounding with nine boards and added 11 in the scoring column.
- Jared Peters and Kolbey Woodard also scored in double digits, posting 15 and 13 points, respectively.
- Steven Matlack came up with a team-high four steals and netted nine points.
- The last time Widener scored in the final 10 seconds to win was when Connor Laverty hit a game winner with 0.8 seconds remaining against Arcadia to clinch the top spot in the MAC Commonwealth on February 18, 2020.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Lions jumped out to an early lead, hitting three of their first four field goals to go up 8-2 after three minutes. Despite early shooting struggles, the Pride was able to keep Albright within striking distance and cut its deficit to four entering halftime.
The second act saw the Lions pull away further, extending their lead by as many as 12. With the Blue and Gold down 10 and 7:44 remaining in the half, a pair of buckets by
Steven Matlack cracked open 15-5 Widener scoring run to tie things back up at 66. After another Albright score with less than a minute remaining,
Kenny Lewis delivered a clutch layup to lock the score at 68-68 and send the game into overtime.
Both teams entered OT exchanging baskets, but it was Widener's perfect free throw shooting in the period that ultimately made the difference. Albright was able to tie the score one more time on a Widener turnover with 19 seconds remaining, but on the game's final possession
Pat Holden took the ball down and hit a jumper as the buzzer sounded to give the Pride its third straight win of the season.
Saturday at Albright - @WidenerMBB Dealt First Setback Against Albright
The Widener University men's basketball team fell 96-76 to the Albright Lions in its first conference setback of the season.
GAME NOTES
HOW IT HAPPENED
Both teams opened the game exchanging baskets, keeping the score locked through the first 10 minutes of play. A few big three-pointers by Albright in the final minutes of the half allowed it to go up by eight entering halftime.
The Blue and Gold opened the second act with three straight buckets to even things back up at 39. However, the Lions responded with a scoring run of their own as they pulled away and held on to cement the final score.
Scouting Report
LVC enters the matchup 3-0 overall and 2-0 in conference play coming off a 68-61 win over Delaware Valley on Friday. The Dutchmen currently sit atop the MAC Commonwealth standings just one spot ahead of Widener.
Leading the charge for the Dutchmen is sophomore Collin Jones who is scoring a conference best 20 points per game on an impressive 61.5 percent shooting. Defensively, Jones is averaging a team-high 8.3 rebounds and 2.7 steals a contest. Senior Zach Tucker has been another prolific scorer for LVC, posting 17 points per contest and knocking down 50 percent of his shots from beyond the arc. Running the point is sophomore Luis Garcia who is dishing 3.7 dimes and netting 11 points per matchup.
Not surprisingly, the Dutchmen have boasted one of the best offenses in the country this season. Their scoring margin of 13.3 leads the conference and ranks 20th in all of NCAAD3. They have also managed to force an astounding amount of turnovers, getting their opponent to cough up the ball 19 times per game this year. Their 11.7 steals per matchup ranks first in the conference and fifth nationally.
Brad McAlester enters his 27th season at the helm for LVC. During his tenure, he has led the Dutchmen to three conference titles, 15 conference tournaments, and five NCAA Tournament appearances. He is the program's all-time winningest coach with 391 career victories.
Point Man
Pat Holden has been off to an impressive junior campaign at point guard for the Pride. He has scored 10+ points in three games, including a career-high 19 and the game-winner against Albright. He is also averaging a team-high 3.3 assists per game and shooting at a 41.7 percent clip from deep.
Ball Bandits
The Blue and Gold has forced 18.8 turnovers per matchup this year, a mark good for second in the MAC Commonwealth. It also ranks second in the conference in steals per game with 7.8. Sophomore
Steven Matlack is responsible for 2.3 of those, placing him third in the conference and 41st nationally in swipes per contest.
Free Basketball
Widener's overtime win against Albright marked the first time in over three years it has taken a match to extra periods. The last time the Pride played in OT was on December 2, 2017 when it defeated Stevenson 78-75.
Day One Contributors
First year players have contributed big time for the Pride this year. In the season opener at Stevenson,
Luke Mazur and
Matt Daulerio both scored double-digits, posting 13 and 10 points, respectively.
Kevin Schenk also pulled in a team-high 10 rebounds. In the following game at home against he Mustangs,
Cortland Johnson led all first years with seven points and grabbed three boards.
Tricentennial
With a 83-67 win over Stevenson to open the season, head coach
Chris Carideo earned his 300th career victory. He currently sits at 215 wins with Widener, making him the second winningest coach in program history behind just C. Alan Rowe who coached Carideo from 1991-95.
Up Next
Widener battles Messiah in its fourth back-to-back series of the season, taking on the Falcons at the Schwartz Center on Thursday, March 4, and traveling to Grantham on Friday, March 5. Both games are set to tip off at 7 p.m.
