Rocky Mount, N.C. - Senior Brandon Givens broke the North Carolina Wesleyan single-game scoring record on Tuesday night, pouring in 43 points to help lead his Battling Bishops to a 67-59 win over Shenandoah in the 2012 South Region Challenge hosted by NCWC. Ironically, the previous record of 42 held by Bishop great Roger Taylor had stood for 43 years... one year for each point it took to put Givens on top.
Givens was nearly unstoppable in the first half, knocking down 10-of-11 attempts from the floor for 26 points at the break. The Bishops, who opened the game with a 15-2 run, led by 13 points on two other occasions and held a 39-32 halftime advantage.
In the second half, the Hornets (1-2) managed their first lead of the game at the 15:19 mark when Avery Green knocked down a jumper for a 42-41 score. Less than a minute later, however, an old-fashioned three-point play by Givens put Wesleyan back on top, 44-42, and NCWC would not trail again.
Down the stretch, Givens tied Taylor's long-standing record with a jumper at the 1:53 mark and later broke it with a free throw with 13 seconds remaining. More importantly, the Bishops came away with a hard-fought eight-point victory and now stand at 2-0 on the season.
Givens completed the double-double with 10 rebounds, while Green finished with 22 to pace Shenandoah. For NCWC, Josh Morrison added six points and seven boards.
Wesleyan returns to action on Wednesday afternoon against 25th-ranked Hampden-Sydney College at 3:00pm. The Tigers opened the Challenge with a decisive 86-62 victory over Mary Washington in Tuesday's first contest.