CHAMBERSBURG, Pa. - The Wilson College men's basketball team looked to move to 1-0 in conference play as they took on the Cyclones of Centenary University a Colonial States Athletic Conference (CSAC) matchup. The Phoenix (2-7, 0-1 CSAC) were taken down by the Cyclones (2-5, 1-0 CSAC) by a score of 87-86 in a hard-fought game.
How It Happened: The game started out with both teams trading buckets until Wilson started a 12-2 run that put them ahead, 14-8. Junior
Zachary Powell (Manassas, VA, Osbourn) and senior
Rashaan Bean (San Antonio, Tx, Forest Park) both knocked down back-to-back three-pointers as junior
Christian Evans (Baltimore, MD, Our Lady Of Mount Carmel) would also connect on one during the run. Centenary would start to chip away as they started a run of their own and knotted the game up at 22 apiece with just under nine minutes left in the first half. On the next Phoenix possession, sophomore DELANEY knocked down a three-point shot but the Cyclones would answer right back with a three of their own. The two opponents would spend the rest of the half trading buckets with neither one was able to establish a solid lead. Wilson would enter the half up by two, 45-43.
In the second,
Bean and sophomore
Adrian Thomas (Germantown, MD, Northwest HS) opened the half up with a huge three that pushed their lead to six points. But, that would spark a 6-0 Cyclone run that tied the game up at 51 with seventeen minutes remaining. Later on in the half, with the score tied at 56, Centenary would start to pull away as they were able to push the score in their favor at 75-68 with just over six minutes left in the game. The Phoenix would respond and slowly chip away at the deficit until they were able to pull with four points thanks to another three from
Powell with 37 seconds remaining. Shortly after, the Cyclones would connect on a three throw that put them ahead by 5 but
Evans was able to cut the lead to three off a jumper in the paint, bringing the score to 86-82 with 11 seconds on the clock. After another made foul shot from Centenary, that put them ahead by four, Wilson looked to pull off the comeback, and almost did, as
Evans was able to connect on a three with time expiring. Despite the valiant effort, the Phoenix would go on to lose by a final score of 87-86
Inside the Box Score: Three's played a huge part for Wilson as they shot 42% from the beyond the arc as they held their opponent to just 24%. The Phoenix finished shooting 33% from the floor while the Cyclones finished shooting 41%.
Powell led the team with 24 points as he went on to finish going 6-9 from three-point range.
Thomas added 19 points for Wilson as
Bean corralled 14 points and 11 boards on his way to a double-double. All together in this game, there were 11 lead changes and 6 tied scores.
Up Next: The men's basketball gets set to hit the road where they will continue CSAC play against the College of Saint Elizabeth on Saturday, December 7, at 3:00 pm.
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