Rocky Mount, N.C. - The Battling Bishop men's basketball team hosted its annual Roger Taylor Invitational on Friday and Saturday, December 4th and 5th. Wesleyan went 2-0 in the tourney with a pair dominating wins over Maryland Bible College and Columbia International University.
Friday's action kicked off with Greensboro downing CIU by an 84-70 score. Simeon Howard paced the Pride with a double-double of 26 points and 14 rebounds, while teammate Parris Scales chipped in 17 points and eight boards.
Wesleyan then took the court for a 110-52 exhibition victory over Maryland Bible. The Bishops shot over 51 percent from the floor in the game, led by senior Brandon Brown's 19 points on 6-of-7 shooting. Prior to tip-off, Wesleyan recognized the tournament's namesake and sponsor, Mr. Roger Taylor, the program's first All-American and an inaugural Hall of Fame inductee.
Freshman Isaiah Alston joined Brown in double-figures with 16 points and four assists, and sophomore Adrian Moore put up similar numbers with 13 points, five assists and three steals. Marcus Williams and John Edwards rounded out NCWC's double-figure scorers with 12 and 11, respectively.
On Saturday, Greensboro opened play with a 60-44 win over MBC, which was followed by Wesleyan posting an impressive 92-68 victory over the Rams. Tied 12-12 just six minutes in, the Bishops put together a 9-0 run to pull ahead, and NCWC later ended the half with a 14-0 run to take a 53-29 lead into the break.
NCWC went on to lead by as many as 30 in the second half, and the Rams got no closer than 21 points. Brown and fellow senior D.J. Weaver each netted 14 points, with Alston adding 12 off the bench. Williams finished with 11 points and four assists.
After the final game, the 2015 Roger Taylor Invitational All-Classic Team was announced as follows:
Linas Janenas, Columbia International
Simeon Howard, Greensboro
Parris Scales, Greensboro
Isaiah Alston, N.C. Wesleyan
Brandon Brown, N.C. Wesleyan
Marcus Williams, N.C. Wesleyan
The Bishops (4-3) return to action on Wednesday when they travel to Coastal Carolina University. The game is slated for a 6:30pm tip-off.