LAKEWOOD, NJ (Feb. 18, 2023) - At the 15:21 mark of the second half, Georgian Court seemed to be in control against Wilmington. The Lions led by 19, 63-46, but the wheels fell off soon after. Wilmington scored six straight and didn't stop until they had the lead. Over the final 15:07, Wilmington outscored GCU 44-20 to complete the comeback with an 88-83 win over the Lions. 

How it Happened
• The Lions outshot the Wildcats both overall, 49%-46% and from three, 44%-25%. Wilmington though went 26-29 at the foul line while GCU was 17-22.
• Wilmington did an outstanding job of holding onto the ball. They turned it over just four times while the Lions lost it 15. Wilmington turned those 15 turnovers into 23 points. For their part, GCU did a good job when Wilmington did happen to turn it over. They hit a three after each lost ball.
• In the paint is where Wilmington did damage. They outscored the Lions 46-26. Georgian Court led though in rebounding 35-33. 
• Georgian Court scored the first four points of the game with buckets from Jamaal Waters and Jelani Jackson.
• Wilmington responded and the teams were going shot-for-shot at the outset. 
• Tied at 12, Wilmington went on a 7-2 run to take a five-point lead, 19-14 midway through the half.
• The Lions let their three-point shooting carry them in the first half. They sunk 7-of-10 from three in the opening 20 minutes. Cameron Edmonds splashed a three and connected on the free throw for a four-point play as Georgian Court regained the lead, 20-19. 
• All tied at 26, Georgian Court finished the first half outscoring Wilmington 21-12 over the final 8:30. They were 3-4 from three, 7-11 overall and 4-5 at the free throw line. 
• The Lions led by nine at the break and with the help of a 16-6 run to start the second half, pushed it to 19, 63-44 with 15:21 left to play. The Lions didn't miss from three during the stretch going 3-3. Clint Wright, Jr. scored half of the 16 points with Jelani Jackson and Jamaal Waters netting four each.
• But the tides turned quickly after that. Wilmington scored six straight before Waters ended a two-minute scoring drought with a layup and a foul. 
• With just over 11 minutes left to play, Wilmington brought the lead into single digits, 67-58. They scored 12 straight over a 3:20 stretch as the Lions went cold and the lead was down to just one, 67-66.
• Georgian Court was able to weather the storm for a bit, maintaining a one-possession lead, but that finally evaporated as Randy Rickards gave the Lions their first lead since 9:42 in the first half, 72-71. 
• The Lions got the lead right back though with a 4-0 run, but another 7-0 Wildcat run put them back on top and this time for good. 
• GCU kept things close with some late baskets, but Wilmington was 9-10 at the foul line to put the game away, 88-83.

It Was Over When...
• Towards the end Georgian Court fouled to extend the game. Wilmington went 9-10 at the foul line and led by at least three the rest of the way.

Lion Stat Leaders
• Jamaal Waters scored a game-high 24 with 14 rebounds and was 8-9 at the line.
• Jelani Jackson added 20 with three triples.
• Clint Wright, Jr. was 4-8 from three and scored 18.
• Cameron Edmonds was in double-figures with 10 points going 2-3 from behind the arc.
• Shane Williams added seven points, six rebounds and three assists.

For the Wildcats
• Randy Rickards led the way with 22 points on 7-12 shooting and seven rebounds.
• Justin Thomas scored 19.
• Skip Burton helped with 11 points, five rebounds and five assists.
• Amiri Stewart added 13 points with seven rebounds and three steals.

News and Notes
• Shane Williams moved into the GCU all-time top-five in career rebounds.
• Titus Beard also entered the GCU all-time top-five in assists.
• Jalen Bates dished out his 100th assist of the season, just the second Lion to ever reach that number in a single-season.
• Prior to the game, Georgian Court honored there three seniors: Titus Beard, Jelani Jackson and Shane Williams.
• Jelani Jackson scored a season-best 20 points. 
• Wilmington's four turnovers are the fewest for a Lion opponent this season. 
• In the CACC standings, Georgian Court is currently on the outside looking in at a playoff spot. They trail Wilmington and Goldey-Beacom by a half game.

Up Next
• The Lions close out the season a week from today, Saturday, Feb. 25 at Chestnut Hill. Game time is scheduled for 7 p.m.