WILMINGTON, Del (Dec. 3, 2024) - Georgian Court Men's Basketball began CACC play Tuesday night in Wilmington. The Lions started out hot, and made a comeback late, but couldn't overcome a 48-31 Wilmington run in the middle 20 minutes and the clock eventually ran out on a 92-71 Wildcat win. 

How it Happened
• After a cold start, Wilmington got hot shooting 50% overall for the game. Georgian Court wasn't far behind at 45% with 10 three-pointers.
• The free throw line was a struggle for both with Georgian Court going 13-22 and Wilmington 21-32.
• Wilmington forced the Lions into 25 turnovers and turned those in 31 points. The Wildcats lost the ball just 14 times themselves.
• Rebounding numbers were about even. Wilmington held a slight edge 38-36. And despite the Wildcats grabbing two more offensive rebounds, Georgian Court outscored Wilmington 15-14 in second-chance points.
First Half
• Georgian Court got out to a terrific start. Amari Jones scored on the Lions first shot and Cam Edmonds followed up with a three-ball for a 5-0 lead 70 seconds into the game.
• Jones made another basket, as did Justin Soranno and GCU pushed their lead to 9-0.
• Wilmington finally got on the board at the 16:32 mark going 1-2 at the foul line.
• They slowly started to chip away at the Lions lead though.
• A Justin Harper jumper extended the Lions lead back to five, 16-11. But the Wildcats scored four straight to tie the game at 16.
• GCU responded with four straight of their own, including a Harper three to retake the lead, 20-16.
• A 6-0 Wilmington run, culminating in an offensive rebound and a tip-in gave the Wildcats their first lead, 22-20, right at the midpoint of the half.
• After Jacob Santiago gave the Lions a 25-24 lead with a three, GCU went scoreless for 3:33 and Wilmington built a 34-25 lead.
• In the closing seconds, Wilmington scored five, including a three-pointer with less than 10 seconds remaining to take a 45-31 lead into the half.
Second Half
• It took the Lions nearly three minutes to get their first basket of the second half. During that time, Wilmington scored 11 straight and extended their lead to 25, 56-31.
• The Lions picked up some momentum and used a 9-0 run to inch their way closer, cutting the lead down to 56-40.
• Both offenses were rolling in the middle of the half, but Wilmington knocked down a couple of three-pointers to bring the lead back over 20 to 73-51 with less than 10 minutes to play.
• The three-ball starting falling for the Lions though and Jones and Donavin Crawford each hit on back-to-back possessions and forced a Wildcat timeout with the lead trimmed to 75-60.
• Georgian Court though went the final four minutes without scoring and Wilmington put the game away at the free throw line, 92-71.

Lions Stat Leaders
• Cam Edmonds scored a team-best 21 points with five rebounds going 11-14 at the foul line. 
• Justin Harper added 18 going 7-12 from the floor and 4-5 from three. 
• Justin Soranno led the Lions with nine rebounds and scored seven points.
• Amari Jones and Donavin Crawford each chipped in seven points. 

For the Wildcats
• Jaylin Horsey finished with a game-high 27 points going 7-11 from downtown.
• Tre Hawkins picked up a 17-point, 13-rebound double-double. 
• Justin Perez made 8-11 from the floor for 23 points.
• Manir Waller was 6-7 overall for 14 points. 

News and Notes
• Amari Jones and Justin Harper both eclipsed 200 career points.
• Harper also matched a career-high with 18 points and set a new high knocking in four three-pointers. 
• Cam Edmonds moved up to sixth all-time in Lions history in three-pointers made. 
• In six games played this season, Edmonds has scored exactly 21 points four times now. 
• This is the Lions fourth straight loss to the Wildcats and are now 5-16 all-time against Wilmington. 

Up Next
• Georgian Court holds their first CACC home game this weekend when they host Chestnut Hill Saturday afternoon. It's part of a doubleheader with the Lion women also taking on the Griffins. All the action gets started at 12 pm in the Wellness Center.