CHESTER, Pa. – A packed crowd in the Schwartz Athletic Center in the first game of the NCAA Division III Men's Basketball Tournament helps #16 Widener Men's Basketball advance in the Regional Rounds.
 
The Pride's 101-70 win moves them to 24-4 in the season after a 12-2 MAC Commonwealth season.
 
OF NOTE

The win over Roger Williams marks the first win in an NCAA Division III Men's Basketball Tournament since the 2009 win over Virginia Wesleyan in the Schwartz Athletic Center.
 
"I give my guys a lot of credit after a hard start of the week." said Head Men's Basketball Coach Chris Carideo. "We rebounded well."
 
Howie Rankine's 1,000-point club ticket was granted. "It's definitely nice personally as it's something a lot of players dream of," said Rankine. 
 
After hitting back-to-back triples, Steven Matlack said, "it feels great. Coming out hot brings us energy as a team and community."
 
BY THE NUMBERS

• Six Pride players saw double digits.
• Steven Matlack led the Pride with 21 points.
• Howie Rankine joined the 1,000-point club with a double-double (10 points and 11 rebounds)
• Defensively, Matt Daulerio put up a block and Luke Mazur stole the ball twice.
• Off the bench, Mike Kane led with 12 points and eight rebounds.
• The Pride shot 53.8% from the field and 40.7% from three. 

HOW IT HAPPENED

• The first points of the game belonged to the Pride as Matlack would put in a good layup. After the Hawks would tie the game, the Pride would go on a 9-0 run to fire up the Schwartz Center. Schenk put in layups and Dominic Dunn saw his first points on a layup. Matlack's triple threat would show as he hit back-to-back triples at 15:57 and 15:39 respectively. Kane began a 18-0 run after a good triple to push the score to 39-12. At the hallway mark, Xavier Ernest saw his first points of the game on a layup from Daulerio. Myles Bright would hit a pair of free throws as Matlack put up another triple. Rankine's free throw would send the Pride to the locker rooms up 54-27. 
• Out of halftime, Rankine continued his threat to the Hawks as would score the first points for the Blue and Gold. Schenk continued to add points for the Pride with a layup and jumper. Dunn pushed the score to 64-37 on a layup with 16:14 left on the board. Anthony DiCaro sunk a triple which led into a Matlack triple to head into a media timeout. The score was 72-40. Right at the halfway mark, Kane hit a jumper after a Mazur rebound. Time ticked under five minutes as Daulerio hit a triple. A Jay-Nelly Reyes jumper put the Pride over 90 points with 4:06 on the clock. The Pride would close out the game with an Ernest and Myles Bright layup to end the game with a final score of 101-70.

UP NEXT
Widener will take on the #23 Christopher Newport Captains in the second game of the NCAA Division III Tournament on Saturday, Mar. 2. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:40 p.m. in the Schwartz Athletic Center.