NCWC men lose pair of heartbreakers to end regular season

Rocky Mount, NC - In USA South men's basketball action, the Battling Bishops of North Carolina Wesleyan suffered a pair of heartbreaking losses to end the regular season, dropping a 96-90 overtime decision to Averett on Friday before falling victim to a halfcourt buzzer-beater in Saturday's 82-79 loss to Ferrum. The Bishops, who on Saturday honored seniors Buddy Williams and Adam Coleman (pictured with Coach John Thompson), will now enter next week's USA South Conference Tournament as the league's #5 seed.

On Friday versus Averett, the Bishops held a 12-point lead at 69-57 with 4:49 remaining only to see the Cougars use a 13-4 run to pull within three with 1:33 left.  Wesleyan went up went up six at 80-74 with 50 ticks on the clock, but a Ryan Frazier three-pointer cut the deficit in half for AU, while his jumper on the Cougars' next possession pulled them to within one.

Unfortunately, the Bishops missed three of their last four free throw attempts, which set the stage for a game-tying Jonathan Rumley lay-up with two seconds remaining. Rumley netted a game-high 33 points.

In the extra period, the two squads were tied 87-87 with 2:15 remaining, but the Cougars closed out the game with a 9-3 run to steal the victory.

For Wesleyan, Trey Drake poured in a team-high 26 points and tallied six assists. Jarmel Arrington finished with 18, while freshman Alex Murray turned in a double-double with 10 points and 10 boards. Freshman Domarius Thomas had 17 points in his first collegiate start.

On Saturday versus Ferrum, it was Wesleyan that overcame a late deficit. Down 73-64 with 7:18 remaining in regulation, the Bishops put together an 8-0 run to pull within one at the 4:14 mark.  NCWC eventually forced a tie at 79-79 with 1:30 left on the clock, but the Bishops missed shots on their next two possessions, the latter coming from Drake with four ticks left.

Ferrum (14-11, 7-5 USAC) successfully grabbed the rebound and called timeout with 2.9 seconds on the clock.  Jerrell Wade proceeded to take the inbounds pass, and after roughly three dribbles, heaved a shot from just beyond halfcourt that banked in for the game-winner.

Arrington had 20 points and Thomas a career-high 19 to pace the Bishops. Coleman finished with 15 points and seven boards, while Williams had nine points and two steals.

The Bishops (14-11, 4-8 USAC) will travel to Shenandoah University on Tuesday night for a First Round match-up with the 4th-seeded Hornets. The two teams split their regular season series, each winning on the other's home court by four points. Tip-off is slated for 7:30 p.m. in Winchester, VA.
 

Return to Men's Basketball Main