Press Release Written by Nathan Foltz
PHILADELPHIA, Pa. - - The shorthanded Wilmington University men's basketball team suffered its sixth straight defeat on Wednesday, as it was outdone, 80-70, by Chestnut Hill at Sorgenti Arena in a Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference contest.
Wilmington falls now to 8-16 on the season with a 4-12 record against CACC opponents. The Griffins get some separation from the Wildcats in the standings by improving to 6-9 in the conference, 8-14 overall.
The Wildcats had some shooting struggles in the first half, going 10-31 (32.3%) from the field and just 1-9 from three-point range. The team's recent free-throw woes continued as well, as they only converted 6-12 from the line. The Griffins were able to hold a multi-possession lead for almost the entire opening period as a result, growing the lead to 11 on a 12-1 run between the 15:04 and 11:53 marks and never looking back. Jaiden Guy's free throw inside a minute before the break got the score to within four, but Chestnut Hill got two free throws of their own on the next possession to make it 33-27 at halftime.
The shooting improved a bit in half number two for Wilmington, but they still trailed their opponent in all three shooting categories for the period when all was said and done. The Wildcats managed to pull within one point twice on free throws, but both times the Griffins responded with two points of their own. Chestnut Hill slowly pulled away from there, as Wilmington just couldn't find a rhythm on offense to string together a comeback.
With an eleven-point deficit at the 6:23 mark, the Wildcats found themselves playing in a game that didn't have a single-possession score difference inside the final five minutes of the contest for the first time since they played the Griffins at home on January 6, which ended in a 79-64 Wilmington victory.
Wilmington's field goal and free throw percentages of 41.0% (25-61) and 58.6% (17-29), respectively, were both the second-lowest marks of their current losing streak. Their three-point percentage of 15.8% (3-19) was the worst mark of the stretch.
Neither Akeem Taylor nor Jaylin Horsey, who have combined for 43 starts this year, played in the game. Horsey, who hasn't played in the last four games, is the team's leading free-throw shooter and is second on the team in three-point shooting, among players averaging 10+ minutes per game. Taylor is fifth in both field goal and free throw percentage under the same parameters.
Jaiden Guy continued to star for the Wildcats through the team's recent struggles, leading all scorers with 24 points and adding three steals. The other Wildcats in double-digits were Justin Perez with 12 points and Zavion Bianchini with 11. Bianchini also tied with Tre Hawkins for the team lead in rebounds with six, while Denim Perkins had four assists.
Next up for the Wildcats is a bout with Post University on Saturday in Waterbury for a weekend evening game. A 7:00 P.M. start time is penciled into the schedule, with that game starting after the conclusion of the women's contest.