Virginia Beach, Va. - The Battling Bishop men's basketball team gave 10th-ranked Virginia Wesleyan all it could handle on Friday afternoon in Virginia Beach, falling by a 79-71 score in overtime. The contest marks the second straight OT defeat at the hands of a top-25 team, as NCWC fell to 17th-ranked Guilford in extras prior to the holiday break.
NCWC led by as many as nine points in the first half, but despite shooting over 46 percent from the floor, the Bishops found themselves down 37-29 at intermission after VWC knocked down 7-of-14 attempts from behind the arc.
The Bishops faced its largest deficit midway through the final period, trailing 52-42 with just over 11 minutes to go. Senior Josh Morrison proceeded to lead his team on a 14-3 run that gave NCWC its first lead of the half, 56-55, at the 5:48 mark.
The final three minutes featured two ties and four lead changes, the last of which saw freshman Marcus Williams nail a three-pointer to give NCWC a 69-67 advantage with 15 seconds left. The ensuing missed free throw, however, opened the door for the Marlins' DJ Woodmore to knock down the equalizer just seconds later to force OT.
Unfortunately, it was all Marlins in overtime as the Bishops went just 1-of-9 from the floor.
Morrison finished with a team-high 15 points, while sophomore Devontae Williams chipped in 14 off the bench. Sophomore Shannon Huff pulled down a game-high 14 rebounds.
N.C. Wesleyan (4-6) returns to action on Tuesday evening at William Peace University. Tip-off is slated for 7:30pm in Raleigh.