GREENSBORO, N.C. - The NC Wesleyan College men's basketball team clinched a spot in next week's USA South Conference Tournament by defeating East rival Greensboro College 76-70 on the road Tuesday night.
Wesleyan's win puts them back at .500 at 12-12 overall and 8-8 in the conference as well as the 4th seed in the East Division where they will take on top seed Averett next week.
Junior wing Damon McDowell led the team with an impressive 24 points on 9-of-15 shooting along with a team-bests in rebounds (8) and assists with 4.
Both teams struggled shooting in the first half with Wesleyan holding the Pride to just 30 percent from the floor but could only knock down one 3-pointer in the first half as they went into the break trailing the Pride by six.
Greensboro then led 49-43 with 12 minutes to play before the Bishops went on a game-clinching 21-7 run over the next 9 minutes to take a 64-56 lead with 3 minutes to play and go on for the 6-point win. Wesleyan ended up holding the Pride to under 30 percent shooting for the game while shooting nearly 44 percent themselves.
Freshman point guard Devin Resper scored a career-high of 10 points with 2 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 steals in the win while fellow freshman guard Tim Pettiford also finished in double-figures with 10 points, 4 rebounds, and 2 blocks.
Sophomore forward Isaiah Lewis also played well finishing with 8 points, 6 rebounds and a block while senior center A.J. Frye also scored 8 points with 8 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, and a block. Senior forward Rico Bullock then added 7 points with 7 rebounds, 2 assists, and a block.
Wesleyan will honor their seniors on Saturday when they return home to host Covenant College (Ga.) at 1:00 PM.