CHESTER, Pa. - Men's Basketball's home opener leaves no less than a thriller as
Kori Segich leads a double-digit overtime comeback win over Haverford on night one of the Widener Tip-Off for Autism Awareness Tournament.
The 86-78 win moves the Pride to 3-0 in the regular season.
BY THE NUMBERS
- Kori Segich led the Pride with 23 points alongside Jay-Nelly Reyes.
- Tyler Tolbert tacked on four from the bench.
- Defensively, Ahmeil McLaurin held three blocks and three steals while snagging 11 rebounds.
- The Pride shot 46.2% from the field, dominated the paint with 52 points, and forced 17 turnovers to capitalize with 21 points.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Widener struck first with a Reyes layup, but Haverford found its rhythm from beyond the arc and built an early advantage. The Pride continued to generate opportunities around the basket. McLaurin secured an offensive rebound and putback to cut into the deficit, while Tolbert capitalized on a fast-break opportunity for a layup after McLaurin came away with a steal. The Fords used a strong offensive stretch to take control, eventually carrying a 41-30 lead into halftime.
- The Pride opened the second half with renewed energy. Segich and Reyes attacked the basket, while McLaurin created second-chance opportunities on the offensive glass. A McLaurin tip-in and another Segich layup helped Widener chip away at the deficit.Haverford continued to hold the advantage and pushed its lead to 10 points at 58-48 with just over eight minutes remaining. Bryson answered with a free throw, and Segich knocked down a pair from the line before adding a layup to bring the Pride within five.
- Reyes and McLaurin continued to fuel the comeback. Reyes finished a layup, McLaurin added another basket inside, and Dylan Schlatter converted a free throw as Widener continued to close the gap. McLaurin's layup with 3:41 remaining made it a two-point game at 60-58.After Haverford briefly extended its lead, Reyes buried a three-pointer with 2:31 left to pull the Pride within one at 64-63. Reyes then came up with a key steal, setting the stage for the final push.
- With 36 seconds remaining, Segich knocked down a jumper to give Widener its first lead of the second half at 65-64. Reyes followed with two clutch free throws to extend the advantage to 67-64 with six seconds left. Haverford, however, answered with a three-pointer at the buzzer to send the game into overtime tied at 67.
- The Pride carried its momentum into the extra period. Schlatter opened the scoring with a three-pointer, and Segich added two free throws to put Widener ahead 72-67. McLaurin followed with a layup, while Reyes continued to make plays on both ends of the floor. Widener's defense took over down the stretch, with Reyes recording a steal and converting a fast-break layup to help stretch the lead. Schlatter and Reyes added free throws to keep Haverford at bay as the Pride pulled away for the 86-78 overtime victory.
UP NEXT
Widener hosts the consolation and championship game on Saturday, November 14 for the second day of the Tip-Off for Autism Awareness Tournament. The Pride will face the 1-1 (0-0 NJAC) Rutgers-Newark Scarlet Raider in a 4 p.m. game in the Schwartz Athletic Center.
