Danville, Va. - The Battling Bishop men's basketball team fell just short in a key USA South tilt at Averett University on Tuesday night, suffering a 91-88 defeat on the road to wrap up the 2017 portion of their schedule. Junior Chris Braswell managed to get off a potential game-tying trey as time expired, but his attempt missed, helping the Cougars secure their first league win of the season.

A game of momentum shifts from the the start, it was Averett that found itself clinging to a slim 41-39 halftime lead. It was Wesleyan, however, who made the first run of the second half, out-scoring the Cougars 20-8 over the first five minutes of the period to go up double-digits, 59-49, with 14:18 remaining. The Cougars countered with a 14-3 run of their own to climb back on top, and they would not trail during the final ten minutes of play.

The Bishops did not go down without fight, erasing an 8-point deficit in the final minute to pull within one point, 89-88, with six seconds to go. AU's James Contreras proceeded to knock down a pair of free throws to put his team back up three, setting up Braswell's last-second attempt.

Braswell finished with 12 points and was one of four Bishops to reach double-figures. Fellow junior Robert Wilson turned in his second straight double-double with a team-high 18 points and 10 rebounds, while sophomore A.J. Frye and freshman Damon McDowell added 15 and 10 points, respectively.

Contreras led all players with a game-high 24 points on the night.

Wesleyan enters the holiday break with a 4-5 overall record, including a 2-1 USA South mark. The Bishops return to action on January 3rd when they host rival Methodist University at 7:30pm in Everett Gymnasium.