(CHAMBERSBURG, Pa.) – The regular season finale was a heartbreaker for Wilson as it fell to Penn State Abington in the final seconds on Saturday afternoon. The Phoenix trailed for the bulk of the contest, but saw the Lions rally back down the stretch to score the go-ahead bucket with three seconds left.
It was also Senior Day for the Phoenix with
Jaylin Davis, Jalen Bowie, and
Armani Joens all honored prior to the game. Bowie had something extra to celebrate as he eclipsed 1,000 points for his collegiate career.
Additional good news came in the form of the conference standings. With the rest of the results around the league, Wilson will host a first round game in the United East Championship on Wednesday.
The Basics
Score: Wilson 90, Penn State Abington 91
Venue: Gannett Field House
Records: Wilson 9-16, 5-8 UE; Penn State Abington 6-19, 6-7 UE
How It Happened
- Wilson came out strong early, feeding off the Senior Day energy to build a first-half advantage. The Phoenix led 49-43 at the break after shooting well from the field and pushing the tempo on the offensive end. Pierce led the charge with 20 points alone in the frame after going 7-for-9 from the field. Bowie also had the hot hands with 11 points after going 5-for-9. The rest of the team also shot well as the Phoenix made 51.4% in the opening half to take a 49-43 lead into halftime.
- The second half started out well for Wilson as they built up a 12-point lead in the opening four minutes. Bowie provided the first four points of a 6-0 stretch with a tip-in and a layup before Davis scored a layup to make it 62-50 with 16:13 to go. Abington eventually responded with a 12-0 run to tied the game at 66-all with 11:07 to go. The Phoenix responded with a 14-2 run to go back up by a dozen following a thunderous dunk by Jones after a rebound and outlet by Bowie with 8:31 on the clock. The Lions started to chip away and used a 7-0 run in the final three minutes to take a 91-90 lead after a Tyler Meinel jumper. Wilson was able to advance the ball for a final shot at the buzzer, but the attempt was just off the mark.
Inside The Numbers
- Pierce finished with 29 points after going 11-for-17 from the field. He was particularly strong on the defensive end with four steals and a block.
- Bowie had a strong day and finished with 22 points and 11 rebounds for his seventh double-double of the season.
- Davis poured in 18 points and was 8-for-15 from the field. He joined Pierce with a game-high four steals.
- Jones finished with 12 points and eight rebounds.
- JoJo Kelly paced the Lions with a game-high 35 points. The bulk of them came in the second half where he scored 21. He was 13-for-21 overall on the day.
Up Next
The Phoenix will be the eighth-seed in the United East Championship which begins Wednesday. They will host No. 9 Penn State Berks in the first round game with tip-off scheduled for 7 p.m. The two teams met back on January 31 with Wilson coming out on top 99-83.
