Reading, Pa (December 28, 2024) - Alvernia University (8-3) used a big first half to power the Golden Wolves to a 90-71 victory over Notre Dame of Maryland University (3-9) Saturday afternoon in non-conference men's basketball action on Alvernia's Jack McCloskey Court. 

The Golden Wolves held an 18 point, 48-30 lead heading into the halftime break and outscored the Gators in the second half en route to the victory. Janye Stanley led the way with 19 points and Kareem Diaz added 17 off the bench including four threes. 

How it Happened 

• The Golden Wolves got on the board with a driving layup from Robert Cottrell on their first possession. The Gators answered with a layup of their own, but Alvernia posted a layup from Elijah Hamilton and a Jakob Kelly 3-pointer to take a 7-2 lead through the first two minutes.
• Alvernia pushed its lead to 13-6 on a pair of made 3-pointers from Jacob Stoudt, and a pair of layups from Janye Stanley made it a 17-8 game in favor of the Golden Wolves through the first five minutes of action.
• After a brief scoring drought for Alvernia, Robert Mullan subbed in and restarted Alvernia's offense with a 3-pointer of his own. The Golden Wolves then took a double-digit lead, 24-12,  with layups from Naji Hamilton and Mullan as the half approached its midpoint.
• Stoudt remained hot from beyond the arc and pushed Alvernia's lead to 13, 27-14. The Gators called a timeout and regrouped with a quick 8-3 run to close within eight, 30-22, with 7:16 to play in the half.
• A layup from Cottrell gave Alvernia back the double-digit lead and marked the start of a strong finish to the opening half for the Golden Wolves. Alvernia played the last six minutes on an 18-8 run, with Elijah Hamilton leading the way with nine of Alvernia's 18 points. Alvernia went 8-for-11 during the run and took a 48-30 lead into the break.
• The Gators started the second half on a 15-8 point run to cut the lead to 11, 56-45, in the first six minutes of the second half. 
• Diaz knocked down a two point jumper and then added a layup to spark a 15-5 scoring run that pushed the Alvernia lead back to 21, 71-50, with under nine to go in the second half. Stanley added five points as well during the run and Diaz tallied eight during the stretch for the Golden Wolves. 
• The Golden Wolves continued to score the basketball and recorded a 17-14 run over the next six minutes to push the lead to 24, 88-64. Alvernia knocked down four threes during the stretch and both Diaz and Stanley tallied six points during the run. 
• The Gators ended the game on a 7-2 run but it was not enough as the Golden Wolves secured the 19 point, 90-71 victory over the Gators and improved to 9-3 overall. 

Inside the Box Score. 

• Janye Stanley led the way for the Golden Wolves with a game high 19 points. Stanley added four rebounds, went 7-10 from the floor and 4-5 from the charity stripe. 
• Kareem Diaz tallied 17 points and went 4-6 from beyond the arc and 6-9 from the floor. Diaz added four rebounds and one assist. 
• Jacob Stoudt and Elijah Hamilton rounded out the Golden Wolves in double digits with Stoudt scoring 12 and Hamilton added 13. Stoudt knocked down four threes and added two rebounds and three assists and Hamilton grabbed a team high seven rebounds, added two blocks and went 6-9 from the floor. 
• The Golden Wolves shot 51% from the floor and 43% from beyond the arc. Alvernia also shot 82% from the free throw line and missed just two from the charity stripe. 

Up Next

• The Golden Wolves are back in action Wednesday, January 8th for the MAC Commonwealth opener against York College. Tip-off is at 8:00 PM, with the women's game starting at 6:00 PM.