Rocky Mount, N.C. - Sophomore Ricardo Bullock scored a career-high 13 points off the bench to help lift his N.C. Wesleyan men's basketball team to an 85-70 USA South victory over William Peace University on Wednesday night in Everett Gym. The win moves the Bishops to 9-8 overall, 7-3 in conference play.
After struggling from the floor in the first half, the Bishops erupted for 56 points in the second thanks to a tremendous defensive effort that forced the Pacers into 14 turnovers. Wesleyan turned WPU's miscues into 23 points, pulling away to lead by that same margin midway the period. Though a thunderous dunk by Bullock highlighed the rally, it was senior Adrian Moore who did most of the damage, netting 16 of his game-high 21 points in the second half alone and completing the double-double with 10 rebounds. Moore added six steals and four assists to complete a solid all-around performance.
The opening half had seen the Pacers (4-13, 2-7 USA South) lead by as many as 10 points early on after the Bishops connected on just one of their first 12 attempts from the floor. NCWC, however, closed out the last five minutes of the period with a 15-3 run that gave them a 29-26 lead at intermission. Wesleyan would not trail again.
Joining Moore and Bullock in double-figures were sophomore A.J. Frye and junior Justin Tankelewicz with 14 and 11 points, respectively. Junior Chris Braswell also chipped in 10. WPU was paced by Tyson Sellars with a team-high 16 points.
The Bishops return to action on the road this weekend at Pfeiffer University on Saturday at 2:00pm and at Ferrum College on Sunday at 3:00pm.