Central, SC – Southern Wesleyan took down the Mid-Atlantic Christian Mustangs in non-conference action on Monday evening in an 88-74 final score.
The Warriors shot 44.1% from the field and were 30.3% from beyond the arc against the Mustangs. Six Warriors posted double digits with Will Little leading the team with 18 points. Jaquay Randolph (17), Jamarras McCray (12), Malachi Cooper (11), Josh Parker (10) and Valdy Zephir (10) were the other Warriors in double digits. Southern Wesleyan totaled 15 assists with both Randolph and Parker having four assists.
Southern Wesleyan pulled down 42 rebounds with Jaquay Randolph picking up another double-double game as he led the team with 18 boards. Randolph was joined by Kenyon Addie and Jayden Guillaume in the block category as they each had one. The Warriors stole the ball away from the Mustangs nine times with both Randolph and Jamarras McCray having two steals.
Game Vitals
Final: Southern Wesleyan 88, Mid-Atlantic Christian 74
Records: Southern Wesleyan (5-10 / CC 2-6) Mid-Atlantic Christian (1-8)
How It Happened
Mid-Atlantic Christian's Tyus Williams stole the ball away from the Warriors early on in the game and then got the ball under the basket to Janus Shepherd. Shephard went up for the layup to put the Mustangs on the board. They extended their lead to six as Shepherd hit a three pointer. Southern Wesleyan answered with a three pointer of their own out of the hands of Will Little. The Warriors pushed on as Josh Parker stole the ball away from the Mustangs. Parker was able to pass the ball down the court to Will Little who quickly got the ball up to Valdy Zephir. Zephir slammed the ball into the basket to put Southern Wesleyan on top. Shepherd put up another three pointer for the Mustangs, but Jaquay Randolph laid the ball up to extend the Warriors lead to five. Jamarras McCray slammed the ball into the basket. A series of fouls by the Warriors sent the Mustangs to the charity stripe where Janus Shepherd made several shots to cut Southern Wesleyan's lead back down to three. Southern Wesleyan pressed on as Randolph and McCray got up a couple of layups. With just over seven minutes on the clock, Jaquay Randolph stole the ball from Janus Shepherd. He sent the ball down the court to Valdy Zephir who slammed it into the basket to give the Warriors a 29-20 point lead. Terrance Williams laid the ball up and was fouled in the process to earn the and-one basket. Three pointers by Josh Parker, Will Little and Bobby Taylor allowed the Warriors to extend their lead to seventeen with just over two minutes left in the first half. Southern Wesleyan led 50-35 going into the locker room.
The Mustangs were first on the board in the second half as Keondre Rodgers put up back-to-back layups. Valdy Zephir sent the ball beyond the arc to Josh Parker who hit a three pointer. However, Mid-Atlantic continued to attack the court as Tyus Williams wove past the Warriors' defense and laid the ball up into the basket. Janai Williams collected a pass from Latrell Thompson and got up a layup to allow the Mustangs to cut the Warriors lead down to eight. Jamarras McCray pulled down a rebound and quickly put it back up into the basket. With just under twelve minutes left in the second half, McCray passed the ball out to Kenyon Addie who knocked down a three pointer to extend Southern Wesleyan's lead to 68-53. Malachi Cooper stepped out beyond the arc and hit a three pointer. McCray stole the ball away from Janus Shepherd and sent the ball down to Cooper who laid it up. Southern Wesleyan distanced themselves more from Mid-Atlantic Christian as baskets by Little and Nathanael Lewis allowed them to extend their lead to twenty-one. The Mustangs went on a run to cut into the Warriors' lead, but a last second three pointer by Cooper allowed Southern Wesleyan to claim the game in an 88-74 final.
What's Next
Southern Wesleyan will hit the road to Ferrum, VA on January 17 to take on the Ferrum Panthers at 4pm. They will then return home as they host the Shorter Hawks on January 21 and the University of Mount Olive Trojans on January 24.
