BANNER ELK, N.C. – Southern Wesleyan men's basketball picked up their first win of the season on Wednesday by defeating Lees-McRae 79-78 in the Conference Carolinas opener for both teams.

The Warriors (1-2, 1-0 CC) were led by four players in double figures as the team shot 54.3 percent from the field.  The Bobcats (1-2, 0-1 CC) were held to 45.2 percent shooting.  Cameron Solomon led all players with 26 points on 8-of-11 shooting including making 3-fo-6 from beyond the arc.  It was his second straight 20+ point performance after scoring 31 on Tuesday against USC Aiken.

"I'm very proud of the way the team made the right plays down the stretch to earn a difficult win against a very good team," said SWU head coach Charles Wimphrie.

Lees-McRae held a 37-33 lead at halftime and pushed the lead out to eight at 45-37 early in the second half but the Warriors were able to rally midway through the half. The Bobcats once again held an eight point lead at 55-47 with 11:27 to play but the Warriors quickly countered with six straight as Dwayne Bryant scored on a jumper and Mike Liebermann added two free throws and a layup.

The Warriors completed the comeback as Buster Walker and Solomon hit back-to-back threes.  SWU made 6-of-16 from beyond the arc on the night as Walker and Solomon each hit three from long range.

From that point the game got tight with seven ties and six lead changes.  Solomon gave the Warriors the lead for good with a dunk with 1:15 to play, cutting along the baseline and getting a perfectly timed pass from Walker.  That put the Warriors up 74-73 and on the next possession, Kenny Holmes scored a tough finish and got fouled to put the Warriors up 76-73.  Holmes missed the free throw but the Bobcats made just one of two from the line on their next trip. 

The Warriors led by five at 79-74 with Bryant knocking down two free throws with 11 seconds remaining.  Lees-McRae scored a layup then forced a turnover and pulled to within one with a basket from Jacquise Moore with two seconds left.  The Warriors were able to run off the remaining time to earn their first victory in Conference Carolinas.

Buster Walker added 15 points to go along with Solomon's big night.  Walker made 5-of-7 from the floor.  Dwayne Bryant added his first double-double of the season with 10 points and 11 rebounds.  Bryant also recorded a team-high four assists.  Mike Lieberman added 12 points, the second double digit performance of the season for the senior.

The Warriors were able to overcome 19 turnovers with solid shooting, both from the floor and the line, as well as seven more trips to the free throw line. The Warriors also out-rebounded Lees-McRae 43-32 despite giving the Bobcats 16 offensive rebounds.  SWU grabbed 14 offensive rebounds.

"We have to remain focused for 40 minutes to continue to have success in this league," Wimphrie added. "We made some mistakes tonight but we made the plays we needed to in the end and that is the most important thing. I'm happy to get the win, especially on the road."

Southern Wesleyan continues their season-opening five-game road trip this weekend, heading to the McDonald's Classic at UNC Pembroke. The Warriors open the weekend on Friday against Georgia Southwestern at 4 p.m. before taking on UNC Pembroke on Saturday at 5 p.m.

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