Rocky Mount, N.C. - Six Bishop players reached double-figures on Tuesday night as the N.C. Wesleyan men's basketball team posted a 113-86 win over Greensboro College to advance to the semifinal round of the 2018 USA South Conference Tournament. As the East Division's #1 seed, Wesleyan will now face the West Division's #3 seed, Covenant College, on Friday. Both semfinal games will be played on the campus of Maryville College.
Tuesday's game in Everett Gym saw the Bishops come out on fire against the 4th-seeded Pride, knocking down their first seven shots from the floor, which included four attempts from behind the arc. Junior Chris Braswell led the way with 13 points in the first five minutes of play. Despite their hot start, however, the Bishops only found themselves up four, 21-17, at the 13:25 mark.
Up 34-29 with 8:15 left in the period, Wesleyan used a 14-4 run to go up double digits and take an eventual 57-41 lead into the break. Greensboro (10-16) got no closer than 15 points in the second half, with the 27-point margin of victory giving NCWC its biggest lead of the night.
Playing their final games in Everett Gymnasium, Adrian Moore poured in a game-high 21 points with nine rebounds and four assists, while fellow senior Malique Judd grabbed seven boards. Braswell finished with 19 points, while junior Robert Wilson added 14 points and nine boards. Freshman Josh Covington had a solid game off the bench with seven points, seven rebounds, and six assists. As a team, the Battling Bishops shot over 58 percent on the night while holding the Pride to 42 percent accuracy. Wesleyan also dominated the glass, 50-30.
Joseph Gatling paced five Pride players in double-figures with a team-high 16 points.
Friday's semifinal match-up with the Scots is slated for a 5:00pm tip-off. The evening's second semifinal contest will feature top-seeded Maryville from the West Division and 2nd-seeded Methodist University from the East Division. The two winners will then face off on Saturday at 6:00pm with the league's automatic NCAA berth on the line.
For more information on the 2018 USA South Conference Tournament, please visit http://usasouth.net/tournaments/mbkb/2017-18/index.