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Wesleyan men stay
perfect with two Southern Shootout wins
 Rocky
Mount, NC
- The men's
basketball team of North Carolina Wesleyan continued its
impressive play this weekend by picking up a pair of wins at
the 2008 Southern Shootout hosted by the Bishops. Wesleyan
earned a 90-74 victory over Mary Washington on Saturday and
went on to down Hampden-Sydney on Sunday by an 84-82 score.
After the Tigers erased a 15-point halftime deficit, junior
Lamont Stokes (pictured) knocked down his only three-pointer
of the game to break an 80-80 tie with 1:09 remaining, and
it proved to be the difference in the contest. NCWC remains
perfect on the season at 6-0.
On Saturday versus Mary
Washington, the Bishops took a 49-31 lead into the break
after shooting 50 percent from the floor in the opening
period, including going 6-of-12 from downtown. Wesleyan then
led by as many as 25 in the second half before a late 8-2
run by the Eagles closed the gap.
NCWC junior Jarmel
Arrington led all scorers with 24 points on 10-of-18
shooting, while Trey Drake chipped in 16 points and dished
out six assists. Adam Coleman and Alex Murray combined
for 11 steals and 17 rebounds to lead the frontcourt, and
freshman Domarius Thomas contributed 12 points off the
bench.
On Sunday versus
Hampden-Sydney, Wesleyan raced out to a 32-13 lead over the
first 10 minutes and held a 44-29 halftime advantage. The
hot-shooting Drake poured in 21 points in the period.
In the second half, the
Bishops found themselves up 15 at 71-56 with 8:06 remaining
only to see the Tigers put together a 24-9 run over the next
seven minutes. Shane Payne's lay-up with 1:30 left in
regulation capped the run and knotted the score at 80-80.
Wesleyan proceeded to run
21 seconds off the clock before Stokes' three-point attempt
from the corner found the bottom of the net. Stokes
then recorded a steal on the Tigers' ensuing possession,
forcing them to foul. Drake knocked down 1-of-2
attempts to give the Bishops a four-point lead at 84-82.
Two free throws by Turner
King brought HSC to within two with 39 ticks on the clock,
and after a missed 1-and-1 opportunity by NCWC, the Tigers
got the ball back with a chance to force overtime. Payne
took the ball on the right wing and drove to the basket with
three seconds left, but Coleman stepped in to take a
game-saving charge that sealed the victory.
Drake finished with a
game-high 29 points, and Arrington added 16. The
difference in the game came on the boards where the Bishops
held a 38-29 rebounding advantage and converted 19
second-chance points.
The Bishops will return to
action on Tuesday when they travel to Guilford College.
Game time is slated for 7:00 p.m. in Greensboro.
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