BROOKLYN, N.Y. - The NC Wesleyan College men's basketball team suffered a gut-wrenching 5-point loss in the first round of the Medgar Evers Holiday Tournament in Brooklyn, NY on Saturday afternoon. SUNY-Oneonta ousted the Bishops 82-77 in a highly-competitive game.
Wesleyan led 41-35 at the break after shooting 48 percent in the first half led by senior A.J. Frye's 13 points before halftime. Oneonta St. (4-3) then rallied in the second half scoring 47 points to outscore the Bishops by 11 in the half to steal the game. The difference in the half came at the free-throw line as the Dragons made 13 free throws while holding the Bishops to just one.
Junior guard Damon McDowell scored 18 of his team-high and season-high 25 points in the second half including a team-best 5 three-pointers while Frye added 9 more points in the final 10 minutes as he posted 22 for the game along with 4 rebounds, an assist, a steal, and a block. McDowell also recorded a team-best 4 steals along with 5 boards and a block in the game.
Also finishing in double-figure scoring for the game was senior guard Cameron Martin with 10 points while freshman point guard Devin Resper had 6 assists and also added 6 rebounds. Senior forward Mitch Layton added 9 rebounds and 4 assists while junior guard Josh Covington led the team with 7 assists along with his 6 points. Sophomore forward Isaiah Lewis then posted 6 points and 7 rebounds as well.
Wesleyan falls to 4-5 overall with the loss and will next play in the Holiday Tournament Consolation game at 1:00 PM on Sunday vs. D'Youville College (N.Y.), who lost in overtime to host Medgar Evers earlier Saturday.