(BALTIMORE) – In the first meeting between the two schools, Wilson overcame a 10-point second half deficit to defeat Notre Dame in Skye Division action on Wednesday evening.
Gary Robertson (Sr., Washington, D.C. / Potomac / Bryant & Stratton) had his best offensive night of the season as he dropped a game-high 22 points in leading the Phoenix to victory.
The Basics
Score: Wilson 77, Notre Dame 71
Venue: Gator Court
Records: Wilson 5-4, 3-1 Skye; Notre Dame 0-7, 0-2 Skye
How It Happened
- The Gators led for the majority of a game thanks to a hot first half that saw the hosts shoot 60.0% (12-for-20), their best numbers this season. D-I transfer guard Daraun Gray was a main source of the aforementioned as he gave Notre Dame early momentum with a pair of 3-pointers in the first 3:20.
- It helped the Gators go up by as many as nine, but the Phoenix stayed competitive and cut the difference down to one after a Robertson trey made the score 19-18 midway through the first. While Wilson couldn't retake the lead before the break, it was able to stay at arm's length as Notre Dame took a 37-32 lead into the locker rooms.
- The second half opened with the Gators taking a 10-point lead, the largest of the game, in the first minute on a pair of buckets in the paint and a free throw. Winston Raford (FY, Woodbridge, Va. / Forest Park) helped spark the offense with a 3-pointer, and while Gray hit another of his own on the opposite end, the Phoenix were focused and started their comeback. Robertson started an 8-0 run with a jumper in the paint, and 3-pointers by both Robertson and Raford followed to get Wilson back within two.
- The Blue and White eventually tied the game on a Darryl Garib (Sr., Dallas, Texas / Forest Park) layup just after the halfway mark of the second. On Notre Dame's next trip down, a missed jumper was rebounded by Ethan Wilson (Jr., Manassas, Va. / Osbourn Park / Howard C.C.) who went coast-to-coast to take the lead on a fastbreak layup. After the Gators answered with a layup, Bryce Smith (Jr., Bryan, Texas / A&M Consolidated) found Robertson open for three which gave Wilson the lead for good.
- Wilson did well down the stretch to stave off the Gators retaliatory efforts. Multiple times Notre Dame got within a possession, but each time the Phoenix were able to answer. After another 3-pointer by Gray, Smith hit one himself to put Wilson back up five with 3:44 to go. Two more Gators buckets were also answered on the opposite end, and the Phoenix went a perfect 6-for-6 at the charity stripe in the final minute to secure the win.
Inside The Numbers
- Robertson finished the night 7-of-13 overall and 3-of-6 behind the arc for his 22 points. It's the second time in the past three games that the senior point guard has reached the 20-point mark. He also led the team with six assists.
- Garib joined him in double figures with 13 points.
- The Gators had a slight edge on the glass by a 31-29 margin, but Darren Green (Jr., Silver Spring, Md. / Springbrook) played some big minutes to help the Phoenix stay competitive on the glass. He led the game with eight rebounds to match his career-high and added six points.
Up Next
Conference play takes a pause until the new calendar year, but the Phoenix will have a trio of games against talented teams until then. First up is a trip to St. Davids to take on Eastern on Saturday at 3 p.m. Wilson will return home to take on No. 10 Christopher Newport on Sunday, December 17.
