Bishop men dominate Roanoke Bible College, 114-56

Rocky Mount, NC - The North Carolina Wesleyan men’s basketball team forged a 56-28 halftime lead and did not look back in downing visiting Roanoke Bible College by 114-56 score on Tuesday night in Everett Gymnasium.  Wesleyan shot a solid 56.5 percent on the night as a team.  With the win, the Bishops even their record at 3-3 on the season.

The first half saw Roanoke hang with Wesleyan for the first eight minutes of the period.  Holding a slim 18-16 at the 11:52 mark, the Bishops increased their advantage to 19 with a 17-0 run over the next four minutes that essentially put the game out of reach.

Wesleyan knocked down 27-of-47 attempts from the floor in the half.  Junior Lenny Hall poured in 17 for the Bishops, who played their entire 17-man roster.

The second half was much like the first with Wesleyan dominating nearly every statistical category.  A thunderous dunk by Adam Coleman on a Trey Drake lob capped a 16-3 run to start the period, giving Wesleyan a 72-31 lead.  The final 15 minutes of play saw 15 of 17 Bishops make their way into the scoring column. 

Hall led all scorers with a game-high 22 points, while freshman Trey Drake added 13 points, seven assists, and six steals.  Sharard Carmichael and Adam Coleman rounded out Wesleyan’s double-figure scorers with 12 and 11 points, respectively.  Both had a team-high eight rebounds.

Curt Ashley paced Roanoke with 19 points.  Eric Pruitt turned in the game’s lone double-double with 17 points and 12 boards.

Now winners of three straight, the Battling Bishops will return to action this weekend when they host the 2006 Roger Taylor Invitational.  Wesleyan will take on York College (NY) on Friday at 6:00 p.m. in Everett Gymnasium.  Game two will feature Wesley College (DE) and Piedmont College (GA) at approximately 8:00 p.m.

Saturday’s consolation game is slated for 1:00 p.m. to be followed by the championship game at 3:00 p.m.  The Bishops earned a runner-up finish in last year’s tournament.