CHESTER, Pa. – A poor shooting performance doomed the Ursinus College men's basketball team to its first loss of the season on Saturday, an 87-72 non-conference setback at the hands of Widener.

Senior captain Matt Knowles poured in a season-high 25 points – all after halftime – for Ursinus (3-1), which was hoping to match its best start since 2003. Junior Remi Janicot complemented 14 points with nine rebounds and classmate Joseph LoStracco chipped in a season-best 11 points for the Bears, who shot just 34.4 percent (22 of 64) and went 7 of 29 from 3-point range (24.1 percent).

Sardayah Sambo led the way with 18 points for Widener (3-1), which shot 51.9 percent from the field. John Fender added 17 points as the Pride placed five in double figures.

The Pride needed less than five minutes to race out to a double-digit lead, and the home side led by as many as 28 in the first half following a triple by Ryan McMahon that made it 43-15 with 3:02 to play in the first half.

Despite trailing by as many as 33 points in the second half, the Bears refused to go quietly. Ursinus twice got the margin to single digits, first on a steal and layup by Knowles that made it 78-69 with 4:09 remaining in the contest. Knowles caught fire after halftime, scoring 16 points during the 22-6 spurt that cut the deficit to nine for the first time.

Janicot had ten points and eight boards in the second half alone, joining Knowles in a spirited effort to overcome a massive Widener margin.

Sophomore Eric Williams Jr. finished with eight points and junior Brian Rafferty collected six points, six rebounds, and four assists for Ursinus. Knowles went 5-of-8 from beyond the arc and 6-for-7 at the foul line and added four steals to his stat line. Freshman Shane Stark pulled down six rebounds and chipped in three points off the bench.

The men's basketball team continues Centennial Conference play at Franklin & Marshall on Thursday, December 1.