(GRANTHAM, Pa.) – Gary Robertson (Gr., Washington, D.C. / Potomac / Bryant and Stratton) poured in a career-high 34 points and
Armani Jones (Jr., Chicago, Ill. / Christ The King / Bryant and Stratton) recorded a double-double, but Wilson fell to Mary Baldwin in a mutual season opener on Friday. The Phoenix and Fighting Squirrels opened the Messiah Tip-Off Tournament, and although the Blue and White shot nearly 45%, MBU surpassed that with a 55% clip and a 40-point outburst by Jaden Ignacio.
The Basics
Score: Wilson 85, Mary Baldwin 95
Venue: Hitchcock Arena
Records: Wilson 0-1, 0-0 UE; Mary Baldwin 1-0, 0-0 USA South
How It Happened
- It was a back-and-forth contest to start as neither team held more than a two-possession lead for the first 13 minutes. During that time Wilson was able to take a three-point lead on a few occasions, the last of which came after a triple by Tobias Reese (FY, Mansfield, Texas / St. Elizabeth [Del.]) and a Jalen Pierce (Jr., Richmond, Va. / Collegiate / Millersville) free throw made it 17-14 with 12:38 to go in the first half.
- The Fighting Squirrels caught fire down the stretch of the opening frame and used a 22-9 run to take a 13-point lead after an Ignacio 3-pointer. The Phoenix were able to cut the deficit back down to 10 by the halftime break.
- In the second half Jordan McKenzie (Sr., White Plains, Md. / North Point / Southern Maryland) opened up with an inside jumper which he was fouled on and converted the and-one free through to get it down to seven. Mary Baldwin didn't let up and eventually went on a 13-2 run to give the Squirrels their largest lead of the game at 19.
- The Phoenix kept up the fighting spirit and got back within single digits. A pair of Robertson free throws made the score 83-76 with 2:44 to go, and a trey by Antonio Perez Jr. (Frederick, Md. / Saint John's Catholic) further closed the gap to 86-80 just over a minute later. It was the closest they could get as MBU answered with a 3-pointer of its own and went 6-for-6 at the charity stripe down the stretch to seal the result.
Inside The Numbers
- Robertson had the hot hands of the night as he blistered the nets by going 9-for-16 overall from the field. He made his only 3-point attempt and drained 15-of-19 from the foul line to calculate his 34 points. He added six rebounds to his line as well.
- Jones finished with 18 points in his Blue and White debut. He was a force on the glass as well with 11 rebounds for the game's only double-double.
- Trea Keys (Sr., Columbia, Md. / Wilde Lake / Howard C.C.) gave Wilson a boost off the bench as he added 11 points to round out the double-figure scorers for Wilson.
- The Phoenix went 29-of-36 from the free throw line. The 29 makes are fifth all-time in program history in single game, and fourth all-time in a single game that ended in regulation.
For The Fighting Squirrels
- Ignacio was a force all night for MBU as he scored 40 after he went 13-for-20 from the field. He was 5-for-7 from range and 9-for-10 from the foul line.
- Zach Sloan added 23 and Quentin Hart pitched in 14 to aid the Squirrels.
- MBU shot 55.4% overall from the field, including 60.71% (17-28) in the second half.
Up Next
Wilson will take on host Messiah in the consolation game on Saturday at 1 p.m. The Falcons fell to Maine Maritime 59-51 in the second game of Friday's doubleheader.
