Ashland, VA - The NC Wesleyan men's basketball program fell in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Friday night against Scranton. In the first half, the Bishops immediately took control of the game and got out to an early lead. Behind Khalid-Chavis-Hinds 23 points, 5 assists, and 4 rebounds. Kyron Kelly also played a huge role for Wesleyan with Isaiah Lewis and Sal-Bey Young being in foul trouble. Kelly ended the night with 11 rebounds to keep the tempo on Wesleyan's side.
Coming into the game, Scranton was considered the best 3-point shooting team in the nation and in the first half was held to 25% from behind the arc. The tenacious defense also forced the Royals to commit 15 turnovers in the contest which is a testament to the ball pressure put on by Senior guard Brayden Dixon. While only recording one steal, Dixon forced a very fundamentally sound team to turn the ball over on fast break opportunities by being able to get back on defense quickly and stopping the run. Dixon's offensive stat line was not too shabby by scoring 8 points and adding 5 assists with 4 boards.
Another key to the game was Senior Isaiah Lewis getting 2 fouls on him early, but continuing to fight in the paint. The Bishop's leading rebounder was able to end the contest with 12 points and 3 rebounds and was a major factor on the defensive end.
However, a late run by Scranton and the inability to knock down key shots ended up advancing the Royals to the Round of 32 by 1 point.
This season ended with the Bishops raising 2 banners in Everett Gymnasium, the 6th NCAA Tournament appearance in school history, and the 2nd winningest season in program history. The entire athletic's department would like to congratulate the program on a tremendous season.