By Chris Stevens, Editor
An ambitious non-conference schedule led to a slow start for the Wilmington University men’s basketball team, especially playing all of those games on the road.
Back in the comfort of the Wilmington University Sports Complex Gym, the Wildcats used a blistering 66.7 field goal percentage in the first half to outlast Bowie State (MD) 88-78 Saturday night for their first win of the season.
“We talked about the sharing the ball more, creating opportunities for guys to score and we had 17 assists on 35 baskets, which isn’t bad at all,” head coach Dan Burke said. “We really put the emphasis on sharing the ball today and everyone did a great job.”
The Wildcats had five players reach double figures, most notably junior guard Justin Thomas, a Newark Charter graduate who made 4 out of 5 three-point attempts in the first half on his way to a game-high 23 points. For Thomas, who transferred to WilmU from Alvernia University and had to wait a year to make his home debut, the game was won in the first half, a problem spot for the Wildcats early on.
“Giving up a run in the first half has been our struggle,” Thomas explained, “so we wanted to come out and play with heart and integrity.”
“We just want to keep getting better and better,” added junior guard Randy Rickards (Cape Henlopen), who pitched in 11 points. “I know these guys have put in work and we haven’t played a game in a couple of years, so to see guys working on their games and to get a win on our record is a good feeling.”
Joining Thomas and Rickards in double figures were William Penn graduate Danny Walsh (11 points and 6 assists), freshman guard Ethan Tarte (11 points) and junior forward Jimmy Smith (10 points and two dunks that got the packed house on their feet). Smyrna’s Caleb Matthews also nailed two three point shots and scored 8 points.
Burke feels that the early non-conference battles before Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference play starts can only help this team moving forward.
“We’ve seen two Northeast 10 teams, which is one of the better conferences in Division II, and we’ve seen Shippensburg, who was picked to win the PSAC East, so I want these guys to have the confidence that they can play with the best of the best,” he says.
“We all trust each other,” Justin Thomas adds. “When you have the chemistry that we have, when you love to see the next man win like we do, it’s only going to make us a better team.”
Delaware men
The Blue Hen men (2-1) picked up a heart-stopping 85-82 overtime win over LaSalle Wednesday night. Senior guard Ryan Allen led UD with 35 points on 11 of 17 from the field and 8 of 12 from the free throw line. Dylan Painter also recorded a double-double (19 points and 12 rebounds) for the Hens, who play tonight in the Gulf Coast Showcase in Florida against Appalachian State.
Delaware women
UD won their rivalry game against Delaware State in convincing fashion 79-48 Friday night, thanks to 31 points and 10 rebounds from senior guard Jasmine Dickey and also defeated Charlotte 73-57 Sunday afternoon. Next up for the Blue Hen women is the FIU Thanksgiving tournament, where they’ll take on Eastern Michigan (November 26) and Chicago State University (November 27).
Delaware State University men
The Hornet men battled UNC-Wilmington of the Colonial Athletic Association for 40 minutes, but fell short by a 67-63 count Saturday afternoon. Senior guard Myles Carter led the Hornets with 24 points and 10 rebounds while Dominik Fragala and Corey Perkins (Sanford) added 13 and 12 points respectively. The Hornets (2-3) will travel to Long Island University November 27th before hosting the University of Delaware on Thursday December 2nd.
Delaware State University women
The Hornet women (0-4) are in the middle of a 10 day break before traveling to Towson to face the Tigers of the Colonial Athletic Association November 29th.
Delaware Tech men
The Del Tech men lost their fourth straight game Saturday afternoon, a 113-74 decision at Cecil College. Jared McGarrity led Del Tech with 18 points while Mt. Pleasant grad Rashaan Butler added 14 points and John Dickinson’s Tyson Tanner contributed 13 points and seven rebounds. DTCC (1-4) returns to action at home Tuesday against Raritan Valley Community College.
Delaware Tech women
The Del Tech women are in the middle of a nine-day break before hosting Raritan Valley Tuesday at 5 pm.
Goldey-Beacom Men
The GBC men also picked up their first win Saturday with a 77-65 triumph over the University of District of Columbia. Senior guard Tyler Jones led four players in double figures with 17 points. Mekhi Collins (14 points) Nazim Derry (12) and Juran Lingonde (10) also reached double digits for the Lightning, who will next host Bloomsburg Tuesday at 6 pm.
Goldey-Beacom Women
The Lightning women suffered their first loss of the season 64-58 to Mercy Saturday evening. Alexis Harrison, Briana Seltzer and Azuri Abraham each scored 10 points for Goldey-Beacom, while Sanford graduate Kanisa Tucker scored a season-high eight points and grabbed four rebounds. Sussex Tech grad Janiya Stevens scored six points and grabbed eight rebounds for GBC.
Wilmington U. women
The Wildcat women fell to 0-3 following a 52-44 loss at Bowie State Sunday night. Kiara Eubanks led the Wildcats with 13 points while Sabreen Muslim added 12. WilmU is off for the next 10 days before a visit to Jefferson University in Philadelphia on December 1st.
#delhs Standouts
Men’s Basketball
Fah’Mir Ali (Mount Pleasant graduate, sophomore, College of Charleston): Scored 13 points and handed out a team-high-tying four assists in CoC’s 94-83 loss to North Carolina on Wednesday.
K’Vonn Cramer (Mount Pleasant graduate, sophomore, Hofstra University): Averaging 4.5 points and 3.5 rebounds per game for the Pride, leads the team in field goal percentage (70%) and total blocks (4).
Colin Hockenbrock (St. Elizabeth graduate, sophomore, PSU-Brandywine): third on the team in points (9.6 per game) and rebounds (4.6). Leads in steals (1.6 per game) and second in blocks (1.4 per game).
Justin Money (St. Elizabeth graduate, junior, Arcadia University): Second on Knights in scoring (12.7 points per game) rebounds (6 per game) and assists (3.0 per game) while leading the team in total steals (8).
Mike Wallace (Salesianum graduate, junior, McDaniel College): leads the Green Terror in scoring (21. 8 points per game), assists (3.5 per game) and steals (1.8) while placing third in rebounding (6 per game). Scored a career-high 37 points against Lycoming November 13th.
Jamar Wright (Conrad graduate, sophomore, PSU-Brandywine): averaging 6 points and 3.6 rebounds per game.
Women’s Basketball
Chris Alston (Sanford graduate, junior, Virginia Union University): scored a team-high 13 points in the Panthers’ 55-50 win over Chowan Friday night. Averaging 7.5 points per game in first two games of the season.
Michelle Kozicki (Padua graduate, sophomore, LaSalle University): Scored a career-high eight points in LaSalle’s 83-71 win over Niagra University Saturday. Currently averaging 4.3 points and 2.3 rebounds per game for the Explorers.
Reese Mullins (Tower Hill graduate, first-year, Immaculata University): Scored 10 points and grabbed three rebounds in Immaculata’s 66-34 win over Valley Forge Saturday.
Jordan Rook (Conrad graduate, junior, Immaculata University): Collected 11 points, five rebounds, three assists and three steals in Immaculata’s 66-34 win over Valley Forge Saturday. Team’s leading scorer (14.5 points per game) and leader in total assists (8).
Olivia Tucker (Sanford graduate, redshirt sophomore, Sacred Heart University): Starting every game for the Pioneers so far this season, averaging 8.5 points and 2.5 rebounds per game. Leads the team in three-point percentage (45.5) and steals (6) and ranks second in blocks (4).
If there is a Delaware athlete playing college basketball that we’re missing in our research, please let us know. Shoot us an email at [email protected] so we can include them in future College Corner posts.
