Rocky Mount, N.C. - North Carolina Wesleyan's hoops squads hosted a trio of USA South games over the weekend, beginning with a league doubleheader versus Greensboro on Saturday and concluding with a men's match-up with Averett on Sunday.
Saturday's opener proved to be the most exciting contest of the weekend as the Pride men (13-6, 6-2 USA South) held on for a slim 74-71 victory.
Trailing 70-68 in the final minute, the Bishops got a old fashioned 3-point play from junior Jesse Simpson that gave Wesleyan a 71-70 lead with 32 ticks on the clock. The Pride answered with a Will Griffin bucket to regain the lead, and after a Bishop miss, GC converted a pair of free throws to provide the final score.
Juniors D.J. Weaver and Devontae Williams paced four Bishops in double figures with 12 points apiece. Simeon Howard led the Pride with a game-high 22 on the day.
In the women's game, Greensboro held a slim 41-37 advantage with just over 13 minutes to go in regulation, but the Pride extended its lead with a 15-4 run midway the period to go up 15. Wesleyan would not recover en route to a 68-53 defeat.
Sophomore Kenyata Harris netted a team-high 17 points for NCWC, while senior NeTaih Davis chipped in 14 off the bench. Joslyn Spires turned in 13 points, five steals and four assists for GC.
Sunday's men's match-up featured the Everett Gym return of long-time Bishop assistant coach David Doino, who departed Wesleyan this fall to become Averett's head coach. After a tightly contested first half saw the Cougars take a 5-point lead into the break, 40-35, Wesleyan battled back to twice lead by two before AU would tie the game for an eighth and final time, 53-53, with 11:19 remaining.
From there, the Cougars scored 11 of the game's next 13 points to go up nine, and they would maintain a similar lead for the remainder of play. Clutch free throw shooting inside the last two minutes allowed AU (13-6, 7-2 USA South) to pull away for the 14-point win, 83-69.
Weaver led Wesleyan with 15 points, while the Cougars were paced by Charles Bryant's 16.
NCWC's men (10-9, 4-4 USA South) continue conference play on Wednesday night with a road game at William Peace, while Wesleyan's women (4-13, 2-10 USA South) host Mary Baldwin next Saturday at 2:00pm.