Chester, Pa. (Feb. 14, 2026) - Saleem Bell-Hudson hit a go-ahead three pointer with 41 seconds to play to lift Alvernia University (12-10, 6-6) over Widener University (7-16, 4-8), 78-75, on Saturday afternoon in MAC Commonwealth men's basketball action at Widener.

With Alvernia trailing by five, 75-70, for nearly three minutes before a Rasheem Dearry 3-pointer brought Alvernia within two, 75-73, with 1:38 to play. Bell-Hudson then knocked down a corner 3-pointer to put Alvernia up by one, 76-75, with 41 seconds to play. Mason Jones followed with  a pair of made free throws to put Alvernina up by three, 78-75. The Golden Wolves then forced a turnover as the clock expired to seal the win. Alvernia's defense held Widener scoreless for the final 4:32.

How it Happened

• Alvernia jumped out to a 4-0 lead through three minutes with jumpers from Elijah Hamilton and Dearry. But, Widener answered with a 12-0 run over the next three minutes to take a 12-4 lead five minutes into the game.
• Alvernia retook the lead at the midpoint of the quarter, 16-15, following a Janye Stanley 3-pointer and a layup in transition by Bell-Hudson after he forced a Widener turnover. The Golden Wolves pushed their lead up to seven, 25-18, over the next three minutes with a Kareem Diaz giving Alvernia the seven point advantage with 7:07 left in the first half.
• The Pride closed back in and evened the game at 30-30 with 4:28 to play in the half. The two sides tied twice more before Widener took a 39-36 lead on a buzzer-beating 3-pointer to close out the first half.
• The Golden Wolves and Pride continued the back and forth into the second half. Alvernia took a four point advantage, 50-46, on a Hamilton layup five minutes into the half and made it a six point game, 52-46, on a pair of made free throws by Jones. A driving layup by Diaz then made it an eight point game, 54-46, with 13:52 to play.
• Like in the first half, the Pride once again strung together a 14-4 run to retake the lead, 60-58, with 8:27 to play. Alvernia evened the game on a layup by Diaz before Widener built its lead up to seven, 72-65, with just under six minutes to play.
• The Golden Wolves got back within five, 75-70, on a pair of made layups by Hamilton and Jones. After a three minute scoreless stretch on both sides, Rasheem Dearry knocked down a 3-pointer to bring Alvernia within two, 75-73, with 1:38 to play. The Golden Wolves defense continued to hold Widener at bay, and Alvernia took the 76-75 lead on a corner three by Saleem Bell-Hudson with 41 seconds to go.
• After two possessions resulted in zero points for the Pride, a pair of made free throws by Jones forced the Pride into needing a 3-pointer with six seconds to play. Coming out of an Alvernia timeout, Bell-Hudson forced a Widener turnover at midcourt to seal the 78-75 win for Alvernia.

Inside the Box Score

• Elijah Hamilton finished with a team-high 23 points, going 8-for-14 from the floor and 7-for-10 from the line. He also brought down nine boards.
• Kareem Diaz finished with a 16 point, 10 rebound double-double. He also went 8-for-14 overall. 
• Today's win marked Alvernia's first win at Widener since January of 2023. 

Up Next

• Alvernia heads down to Eastern on Tuesday to take on the Eagles. Alvernia won the first matchup earlier this season, 89-64.