LANGHORNE, Pa. - The Wilson College men's basketball team hit the road this evening, taking on the Highlanders of Cairn University in a Colonial States Athletic Conference (CSAC) tilt. The Phoenix (14-5, 10-0 CSAC) remain unbeaten in CSAC play, dropping the Highlanders (10-9, 5-5 CSAC) by a final score of 66-61.
How It Happened: Wilson got started on a run in the early going that put them up 7-2. The streak was supplied by: a layup from senior
Adrian Thomas (Germantown, MD., Northwest HS), foul shots from junior
Darryl Garib (Dallas, TX., Forest Park), and a three-pointer from junior
Warrick Godwin Jr. (Largo, MD, College of So. MD). Moments later,
Garib added six consecutive points off an and-one layup and a shot from beyond the arc, that extended the Phoenix lead to 13-7. The Highlanders spent the next seven minutes on a 16-5 run that flipped the score and put Cairn in front, 23-18, with just over five minutes left in the first half. After junior
Daeshaun Johnson (Waldorf, MD, St. Charles HS) ended the run with a layup, Wilson started chipping away at the deficit until they found themselves within one point with under two minutes in the half, 27-26.
Garib closed out the final moments with a steal and a buzzer-beating layup that tied the game at 33 apiece, heading into halftime.
The two teams came out in the second half trading points until the game was tied-up again. Both opponents continued to duke it out until the Highlanders found themselves out in front by three, 52-49. That's when the Phoenix rattled off eight unanswered points, putting Wilson in front 57-52 with just over six minutes left in the game. Cairn tried to make things interesting late in the game, cutting the lead to two points, 62-60, but the Phoenix closed the game out with six consecutive points, giving them a 66-60 victory. With this win, the men's basketball team has secured a spot in the CSAC playoffs, later this season.
Inside the Box Score: Garib went off, scoring a season-high 33 points along with eight rebounds, three steals, and two assists while going 8-10 from the charity stripe.
Godwin Jr. tallied his first double-double of the season, leading the team with 12 rebounds while adding 12 points. We saw another double-digit performance from
Thomas as he capped his night off with 10 points and six rebounds while going 5-9 from the floor.
Johnson chipped in seven points while junior
Jeremiah Carter-Johnson (Richmond, VA., Mills E. Godwin) notched four. Wilson dominated down low, outscoring their opponent 38-14 in the paint and outshooting them from the free-throw line, 79%-50%.
Up Next: The Phoenix will return home to host the Patriots of the University of Valley Forge (5-11, 2-8 CSAC) on Saturday, February 5, at 3 p.m.
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