UNION, N.J. -- Gwynedd Mercy University Men's Basketball team hit the road for the second time in three days traveling to Kean University on Friday evening. The Griffins returned home with a 103-85 win over the Cougars for their eighth-straight win.
Now at 9-1 on the season, the record matches the best 10-game start in program history. The 2003-04 team won 14 of its first 15 games in that season.
Senior Will Davis led GMercyU with 29 points and eight rebounds, for his fourth game in a row with 20 or more points. Rip Engel added 19 points and tying a career-high with nine assists. Courtney Cubbage (18), Ty Jones (12) and Matt Carter (10) rounded out the double figure scoring.
Gwynedd shot 60.3% (38-of-63) from the field, connecting on 10 team three pointers. The Griffins also dished out 25 team assists as well.
The first half seesawed over the first eleven minutes with twelve lead changes and five ties. Trailing 24-23 the Griffins got a spark from their bench with a 10-0 run from Carter and Jones to take a 33-24 lead with 6:37 left to play in the half. Holding their lead, Davis put GMercyU up double digits (37-26) with 5:37 remaining. Carter would strike again from downtown with his second triple with 3:08 remaining. Engel would add a three ball as well to put GMercyU up 47-33 their largest of the half. Kean would claw back to cut the lead to four but a Rich Dunham buzzer beating layup would end the half with the Griffins ahead 50-44 at the break.
Leading by one early in the second half, the Griffins would stretch their lead to nine (61-52) with a 7-0 run capped by a Dunham slam dunk with just over fifteen minutes remaining. GMercyU did not trail the rest of the stanza en route to the win. The Cougars would get as close as 71-67 with just under 10 minutes to play, but a 9-0 run book-ended by an Engel triple and bucket opened up a double-digit advantage.
The Griffins would outscore Kean, 19-7, to close out the game a Jones three ball would cap the Gwynedd scoring for the 103-85 victory.
GMercyU out-rebounded the Cougars 36-27
Kean (3-7) was led by Adrian Baucum with 18 points. For the game, the Cougars shot 31-of-62 from the field, hitting five of their eight three-pointers in the second half.
The Griffins return back to action in the New Year when they resume CSAC action in away game at Immaculata on Saturday January 6th at 3 p.m.