GRANTHAM, Pa. – #16 Widener Men's Basketball opens the flood gates in the first half to down Messiah.
 
The Pride controlled the game with a 98-63 win to advance to 19-3 and 9-2 in the MAC Commonwealth.
 
BY THE NUMBERS

• Steven Matlack shot season best 17 points in 16 minutes.
• Matt Daulerio led the rebound game with five as four Pride players snagged four.
• Defensively Anthony DiCaro stole three Falcon's balls while Ethan Dodson picked up his first block of the season.
• The Pride shot 59.1% from the field, 50% from three, and saw 50 points in the paint.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Matlack opened the gates early with a layup while the Pride press forced a 10 second violation. The Pride press continued to cause problems as Matlack drained his first triple. A couple minutes later Matlack sunk another triple to force a Falcon timeout as they would lead 10-0. DiCaro drained a triple to extend the run to 13. Kevin Schenk saw his first points on a layup five minutes into the half. Daulerio ended the 19-0 run with a layup as the Falcons saw their first points of the game as time ticked to 13:08. Mike Kane continued to let the points flow with a good triple with 8:53 remaining. To close out the half, Schenk and Dunn added jumpers and Howie Rankine and Matlack added layups. The Pride headed to the locker room with a 49-18 lead.
• Rankine opened the second half for the Pride to answer a Falcons short run as his triple sent the Pride over 50. Dunn threw up a block to send Schenk to the paint for a good layup. Just over halfway through, DiCaro sunk another triple after a Daulerio rebound. Daulerio saw a good jumper seconds later on a fast break with a Kane assist. Luke Mazur saw a good triple with 8:24 left. Xavier Ernest saw his first points with a good layup to give the Pride a 75-45 lead. Jay-Nelly Reyes would hit a good triple with 3:54 left off a Myles Bright assist. To close out the 98-63 win, Aidan McCormack would see a pair of free throws and a layup while Matt Johnson hit a fast break jumper.

UP NEXT
Widener return home to the Schwartz Center on Saturday, Feb. 10 to honor their departing seniors. The 3 p.m. game against the 15-7 (7-4 MAC Commonwealth) Alvernia Golden Wolves will follow the women's game at 1 p.m.