Rocky Mount, N.C. - The men's basketball team of North Carolina Wesleyan downed Maryville College by a 71-59 score in Everett Gymnasium on Sunday afternoon, marking the 600th victory in program history. The milestone win comes just one week from the program's 50-Year Anniversary Celebration, which is slated for next Saturday, January 26th.
Sunday's game saw Wesleyan take an early 4-3 lead on a jumper by freshman Eric Dortch-Jones, and the Bishops would not trail again. Tied 13-13 with 11:47 to go in the first half, the Bishops out-scored the Scots 26-10 over the next 11 minutes thanks to the solid play of freshman Evan Collins off the bench. Collins went 3-of-6 from the floor during the run, helping NCWC forge a 39-23 advantage at the break.
The Scots (7-10, 3-6 USA South) hit seven three-pointers in the second half and got as close as seven points, 62-55, with 2:33 remaining in regulation. The Bishops, however, went 7-of-8 at the free throw line and got a huge jumper from senior Brandon Givens in the final minutes to pull away for the historic win.
Givens finished with a game-high 28 points, while Collins joined him in double-figures with 10. Sophomore Chris Ford pulled down a team-high eight rebounds.
Christian Ford paced a trio of Scot players in double-figures with 17.
Statistically, the Bishops shot nearly 40 percent to Maryville's 32 while out-scoring the Scots 22-10 in the paint.
The Battling Bishops (10-6, 3-5 USA South) continue USA South play on Wednesday night when they host Methodist University. Tip-off is slated for 7:00pm in Everett Gym.