Opening Tip
Widener opens its modified 2020-21 season on Thursday, February 12 in Owings Mills as it takes on MAC Commonwealth rival Stevenson. The Pride returns to action the next day, February 12, to face the Mustangs at the Schwartz Center. Both games are set to tipoff at 7:00 p.m.

Last Time Out - @WidenerMBB Falls To Baruch In ECAC Championship
The Widener University men's basketball team fell to Baruch College in the First Round of the ECAC Championship. The Pride finished the 2019-20 season 19-8 overall and 12-4 in the MAC Commonwealth.

BY THE NUMBERS

• Connor Laverty led the Pride in scoring and rebounding with 23 points and six boards. With the performance, he reached 1,000 career points with Widener.
• Kenny Lewis turned in 22 points on 7-of-13 shooting.
• Jared Peters added 12 in the scoring column and recorded three steals.

HOW IT HAPPENED
The Bearcats got off to a hot start, knocking down six straight baskets to open the game and taking an early double-digit lead. The Pride found its spark midway through the first and opened up a 11-2 scoring run, slashing the deficit to three. After a few more exchanged buckets, Baruch entered halftime up 46-43.
 
Shooting struggles plagued Widener in the second act as the Bearcats began to pull away. Despite two 20+ point performances from Laverty and Lewis, the Pride ultimately fell to the Bearcats 93-77.

Scouting Report
The Mustangs finished the 2019-20 season with a record of 6-19 and a conference record of 3-13, putting them ninth in the MAC Commonwealth standings. They are losing seven players from last year, including three starters, and gaining eight new ones.

Stevenson was excellent on the glass last season, leading the conference with a +3.5 rebound margin. It also took care of the ball and recorded the fewest turnovers in the MAC Commonwealth.

The Mustangs get back their leading scorer in junior guard Norman Hughes who put up 13.9 points per game last year while pulling in 3.4 boards a contest. They also return a formidable force in the frontcourt as Bo Wesley gears up for his junior season. Wesley ranked second in the conference in blocks last season with 32. 

Gary Stewart enters his 10th season at the helm for Stevenson. During his tenure, he has led the Mustangs to two MAC Commonwealth championships and was named conference Coach of the Year in his third as head coach.

Chasing 300
With a record of 299-209, a win against Stevenson would be head coach Chris Carideo's 300th career victory. 213 of those wins came while at Widener, making him the second winningest coach in program history behind C. Alan Rowe who compiled 536 in 33 seasons and coached Carideo from '02-'06.

Getting The Gang Back Together
Widener turned in one of its most impressive regular seasons to date in 2019-20. With a 12-4 conference record, it finished atop the MAC Commonwealth standings for the first time since 2008-09. The Blue and Gold will keep much of that roster intact, bringing back 11 of its 15 players from last year.

Shuffling Starters
The Pride loses two of its starters in 2019-20 MAC Commonwealth Player of the Year Connor Laverty and All-MAC Commonwealth Honorable Mention Elijah Boyd. Sophomore Steven Matlack aims to fill one of those spots after an impressive rookie campaign where he led the team with 20 blocks and grabbed 4.3 rebounds per game. Junior Kolbey Woodard has been a key player off the bench the past two seasons and looks to make the jump into the other open starting role. Last year he averaged 7.1 points and 3.5 rebounds a contest.

The Last Dance
Jared Peters comes back for one more run as the team's sole senior. The All-MAC Commonwealth Second Team guard was the only player in the conference to record a triple-double last year when he posted 16 points, 14 rebounds, and 10 assists against Arcadia.

Fresh Faces
The Blue and Gold adds six new names (all first years) to the team in 2020-21. Kevin Schenk, Jake Cashmer, and Matt Daulerio look to bring some size to the frontcourt, all measuring in at 6'6" or taller, while Luke Mazur, Cortland Johnson, and Anthony Pompilii aim to provide some more shooting to the backcourt.

Adding Some DI Experience
Carideo will bring back most of his coaching staff from last year, but added Mac Ryan as an assistant coach. Ryan brings some Division I experience to the group, having spent the past two seasons as a men's basketball graduate assistant for Temple University. There he worked under Philly coaching legend Fran Dunphy and former NBA star Aaron McKie, helping them advance to the NCAA Tournament in 2019.

Up Next
The Pride plays another back-to-back series against Albright. The first game takes place in Reading on Thursday, February 18 with the second leg back at the Schwartz Center on Friday, February 19. Both games are set to tip off at 7:00 p.m.