Danville, Va. - With an 85-82 victory at Averett University on Wednesday night, the N.C. Wesleyan men's basketball team has clinched the 2015-2016 USA South Regular Season Championship. The title is the eighth in program history, the fourth of head coach John Thompson's tenure, and the first since the 2010-2011 season.
The Bishops came out strong in the opening half, forging a 27-11 lead less than eight minutes in. Sophomore Adrian Moore poured in 15 of his game-high 25 points in the period to help NCWC take a 46-38 advantage into the break.
The Cougars (15-9, 6-7 USA South), who trailed by double-digits for most of the second half, used a late rally to make it exciting down the stretch. Down 79-64 with 1:25 remaining, AU put together a furious 18-4 run to get to within one, 83-82, with three seconds left. After a pair of Bishop free throws, the Cougars' Devontae Pannell got off a last-second trey to potentially force overtime. Fortunately for Bishop fans, Pannell's shot was off the mark, sealing the 3-point victory and regular season crown.
Senior D.J. Weaver complimented Moore with 21 points on the night. They were joined in double-figures by Brandon Brown and Devontae Williams with 12 and 10, respectively. As a team, Wesleyan shot a 58 percent from the floor in each half.
Pannell paced the Cougars with a team-high 18 points.
As the USA South Tournament's #1 seed, the Bishops will now host next week's conference tournament, which will feature the top eight teams in the league. Game dates, times, and opponents will be announced at the conclusion of conference play this weekend.
Wesleyan (18-6, 11-2 USA South) wraps up regular season play on Saturday at Methodist University. Tip-off is slated for 4:00pm in Fayetteville.