BUCKHANNON, W.Va. — The Bobcat men's basketball team battled toe-to-toe for 40 minutes, but Davis & Elkins used a decisive late push at the free throw line to secure a 91-83 Mountain East Conference victory on Friday afternoon inside the Rockefeller Center.
The Bobcats (1-16, 1-10 MEC) trailed by just one at the break, 40-39, after a back-and-forth first half that featured seven ties and 14 lead changes. Wesleyan stayed within striking distance throughout the second half and even grabbed the lead late, but the Senators (7-11, 4-7 MEC) closed the contest by converting at the stripe and capitalizing on late possessions to seal the eight-point win.
The opening 20 minutes were tightly contested with both teams trading scoring spurts. Wesleyan found success early from the perimeter, hitting nine first-half three-pointers, and entered the locker room down just 40-39.
The Bobcats continued to lean on the long ball in the second half, finishing 18-of-35 (51.4%) from three-point range. Wesleyan also improved its efficiency overall after halftime, shooting 42.4% in the second half.
Despite the strong shooting night, Davis & Elkins held an edge in key areas late, including a 37-14 advantage at the free throw line and a +11 edge in field goal attempts, helping the Senators maintain control down the stretch.
Jerell Jean-Baptiste led all scorers for Wesleyan with 22 points, knocking down 6-of-11 from three-point range while adding four rebounds and one assist.
Curtis Litton added 15 points, connecting on four three-pointers, while also pulling down nine rebounds.
Isaiah Baker finished with 13 points and eight rebounds, and
Milos Cirovic chipped in 11 points on 4-of-7 shooting, including 3-of-3 from beyond the arc.
Tristin Harkins provided a spark off the bench with 10 points on 2-of-4 shooting from three and a perfect 4-of-4 at the line.
Davis & Elkins placed two players at 20 points, led by Noah Adamczyk (20 points) and Matthew Gray (20 points). The Senators also got consistent contributions from the bench, scoring 32 bench points, and converted 26 free throws to help close out the win.
Wesleyan returns to MEC action when the team hosst Salem University on Wednesday, Jan. 28 at 7:30 p.m.
