“Team Effort” carries Bishop men to thrilling 102-96 win over CNU
Rocky Mount, NC - In front of a near-capacity crowd at Everett Gymnasium on Tuesday night, the Bishop men's basketball team of North Carolina Wesleyan overcame a 10-point second half deficit to down visiting Christopher Newport by a 102-96 score. The game proved to be a pivotal USA South match-up as Wesleyan is now tied with four teams in the conference standings with just three losses. With the win, the Bishops improve to 10-10 overall and 5-3 in conference action. The Captains fall to 13-8 overall, 5-3 in the USA South.
After forging a 57-49 halftime advantage, the Captains increased their lead to 10 points less than a minute into the final period. The Bishops countered with a 13-0 run to go on top 62-59 at 15:56 mark.
CNU then scored six unanswered to see-saw back in front by three on a Donta Selden three-pointer with just under 14 minutes to go. With 7:25 left, the Captains jumped ahead by nine, 83-74.
The Bishops hung around and trimmed the lead down to two, 90-88, with 2:42 left in regulation on freshman Trey Drake's running jumper. Just 30 seconds later, after a missed CNU shot, Sharard Carmichael's lay-up knotted the game at 90-90.
After a CNU turnover and a Wesleyan foul, Theo Baker went to the line and made only one of two to put the Captains ahead by one with 1:27 left. The Bishops countered with a Lenny Hall three-ball with just over a minute to play to go ahead for good.
The Bishops hit 9-of-10 free throws in the final minute to seal the win.
Christopher Newport was on fire from the field in the first half, shooting 22-of-33 (67%) from the floor, 5-of-9 (56%) from behind the arc, and 8-of-9 (89%) from the free throw line. The Bishops shot 19-of-41 (46%) from the field in the opening stanza, 6-of-13 (46%) from downtown, and 5-of-6 (83%) at the charity stripe.
The difference in the second half was the Bishops free throw shooting. NC Wesleyan went to the line 23 times, making 18, compared to CNU's four makes in eight attempts.
For the game, the Captains were 37-of-69 (54%) from the field, 10-of-23 (44%) from behind the arc, and 12-of-17 (71%) from the charity stripe. The Bishops finished 34-of-79 (43%) from the floor, 11-of-32 (34%) on three-point attempts, and 23-of-29 (79%) from the foul line.
Hall finished with 30 points on 7-of-18 shooting from the field, including 4-of-8 from behind the arc and 12-of-13 from the free throw line. He also dished out an impressive 11 assists. Drake finished with 26 points on 10-of-23 shooting. Carmichael added 19 points, while Adam Coleman finished with 11 points and a career-high 20 rebounds.
Barton paced Christopher Newport with 26 points on 11-of-16 shooting, including 3-of-6 from behind the arc. He also dished out seven assists. Ed Riley had 18 points on 8-of-12 shooting, and Donta Selden added 17. Theo Baker chipped 17 off the bench, while Mark Blasingame finished with six points and 14 rebounds.
The Bishops will travel to Greensboro College on Saturday for a 2:00 p.m. contest with the Pride. First place will once again be on the line as Greensboro is tied atop the conference standings with a 6-3 league mark.
