Second Half Surge Lifts Jackets

The Cedarville men’s basketball team scored 52 points in the second half to pull away from cross county rival Wilberforce in Thursday’s 91-73 non-conference home victory.

The Yellow Jackets locked down defensively in the opening minutes, forcing a Wilberforce timeout less than two minutes into the game after a Cedarville jumped out to a 6-0 lead. The Jackets built the lead to as high as 13, but Wilberforce wouldn’t go away easily. The Bulldogs kept the game in reach and stormed back at the end of the half, closing the final six minutes on a 14-4 run. Wilberforce’s Arthur Haggard made a falling half court shot to end the half but the ball was still on his fingertips when the buzzer sounded, so the teams entered halftime tied at 36.

Thirty seconds into the second half, the Bulldogs got their first lead of the game. 15 seconds later, J.C. Faubion nailed a three-pointer on the other end of the floor to take the lead back for good. Cedarville methodically built their lead as they had in the first half, but didn’t stop at ten. Led by Marcus Reineke, the Jackets shot 59 percent from the field and 57 percent from three in the second half, compared to Wilberforce’s 37 percent from the field and 0 for 9 performance from three. Cedarville outscored the Bulldogs 55-37 in the second half, en route to a 91-73 win.

Six Yellow Jackets scored eight or more points, led by Reineke’s 25. Sophomores Easton Bazzoli and Austin Pickett had 19 and 12, respectively. Patrick Bain, J.C. Faubion, and Leighton Smith added eight apiece. Smith also grabbed a team high eight rebounds.

The win was the last non-conference game of the season for Cedarville (8-12 (4-2 G-MAC)). The rest of their schedule will be conference play. They play a game at home against Central State, with whom the Yellow Jackets are tied for third in the conference, this Saturday at 7:45 p.m.

Tyler Greenwood is a sophomore mechanical engineering major and sports reporter for Cedars.