High Scoring, Late Knight’s Rally goes Widener’s Way

Box Score
GLENSIDE, Pa.: Widener University drained 13 three-pointers shooting nearly 60% from the field overall and held off host Arcadia University when the Knights threatened midway through the second half taking tonight's high-scoring Commonwealth Conference game 96-80.

Arcadia cut a 14 point deficit to 5 with less than ten minutes remaining, but the Pride went to Jack Brennan who scored 10 of his game high 21 in the final ten minutes with the Pride outscoring the Knights 31-20 the rest of the way to keep in control of their playoff pursuit, improving to 7-4 in the league and 16-6 overall. Arcadia drops to 2-9 in league play and 9-13 on the season. And with three games remaining in the regular season, including hosting the league's best Messiah this Saturday at home, even winning-out, Arcadia won't be able to reach one of the four available post-season berths.

Arcadia's Malcolm Still, a junior, led the Knights with 17 points. However, the Pride matched that with three players scoring 17 points or more, led by Brennan's game high of 21. Lamar Jackson scored 19 and Brian Smith went 4 for 10 from distance to finish with 17 for the Pride.

Each team placed five players in double-figure scoring by regulation's end. Still finished 6 of 10 attempts, going 2 for 3 from long-range and 3 for 3 at the line. He was joined by first year Joe Brown's 15 point effort and junior Khalief Trawick's 13 point outing. First year Aaron Lee-Webb helped himself to a dozen points and 4 assists and 3 steals, both team-highs. Senior Colin McCarthy added 11. Sophomore Rashon Brock went 2 for 2 from the floor and at the line for 6 points and rose far above for 7 defensive rebounds, and dished out 3. First year Travis Saltus rounded out the Knight's offense with 6 points.

Brennan, who finished off 8 of 13 attempts and was perfect at the stripe through five chances, added 8 rebounds to lead Widener. Along with Widener's top-three scorers, Perry Wright would finish with 12 points after leading both teams with four treys and Dillon Fields went 3 for 3 from long-range finishing with 11 points.

The Pride opened up a 15-5 lead after five minutes played. Arcadia eventually settled into their home court surroundings using a 12-5 spurt flanked by back to back rainbow three's from Still at 14:19 and one to tie the game at 17-all at 13:28. Still scored 8 in that run before Lee Webb pulled up inside the foul line to put the Knights on top for the first time 19-17 with 12:53 to play in the half. The rest of the half remained tightly contested. The lead changed hands three times before Widener drained 2 from distance in the final 1:45 to close the first half up 49-40. Arcadia's bench outscored the visitor's non-starters 30-20 in the half.

Using a 9-4 run that opened the second half, Widener's lead would grow to 14 (58-44) after three minutes played but much like the early-going in the first, Arcadia gathered composure and rediscovered their swagger, going to Brown for 7 points, Trawick for 6 and Still who added 5 in a five and half-minute span. With 10:54 on the clock, the Knights had clawed their way back in with a 16-8 run, to find themselves down just 5, 60-65. The Pride went to their big man, Jack Brennan for their next six points. He scored two buckets in the paint and added two free throws, giving the Pride their double-digit lead back with 6:26 on the clock. He scored ten all together in the remaining time as Widener remained in front by a comfortable distance, going on to win by 16.

From the floor, Widener out-shot Arcadia 55.9% to 42.6% and finished 54.2% from three-point range to the Knight's 6 of 16 effort (37.5%). Free throw shooting was fairly even with Arcadia at 76.2% and Widener with 77.8%.

The Knights face off against Messiah College this Saturday with a 3 p.m. tip-off at the Kuch Center. The Falcons topped the Knights 67-58 back on Jan. 21 in Grantham.

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