Demorest, Ga. - Sophomore Brandon Brown netted 20 points off the bench to lead his N.C. Wesleyan men's basketball team to an 86-83 win at Piedmont College on Sunday. A close game from start to finish, the contest featured 10 ties and 14 lead changes.
The Bishops held their biggest lead of the contest midway through the first half when a Devontae Williams jump shot put Wesleyan on top 26-16 at the 9:32 mark. From there, the Lions would out-score NCWC 23-14 to close out the half, leaving the Bishops with a slim 40-39 advantage at the break.
In the second half, neither team could forge more than a four-point lead until a free throw by sophomore Jesse Simpson gave Wesleyan an 81-76 cushion with three minutes left. Piedmont, however, battled back to force the game's tenth tie with five straight points. Fortunately, senior Josh Morrison answered for the Bishops, knocking down his fourth trey of the day to put Wesleyan on top for good, 84-81, with 40 ticks on the clock.
Morrison finished with a game-high 21 points on 8-of-11 shooting. Joining Morrison and Brown in double-figures were Williams and Simpson with 17 and 13 of their own. Freshman Marcus Williams also chipped in 10 off the bench. As a team, the Bishops shot 54 percent from the floor on the day.
With the win, the Battling Bishops even their record at 6-6 on the season, but more importantly, move to 1-0 in USA South play. They will now play host to league foes Covenant and Maryville next Friday and Saturday at 7:30pm and 3:00pm, respectively.