Tyrone Craven
By Justin Vera (Whetstone Staff Writer)
The Wesley men’s basketball team faced off against their rival Christopher Newport University, the No. 6 team in the nation, and lost 78-74.
During the past couple of years, Wesley and CNU had close games and this was another.
Wesley College headed into the game with a 7-13 record. Wesley’s defense forced 15 turnovers at their home court in Wentworth Gym.
“The crowd helped as CNU players had not played in that atmosphere and were nervous, but our defense had a part in the turnovers as we tried to take away space with half court play and full court play,†said Coach Dean Burrows
As the first half ended, Wesley led 40-36. Anthony Bowers led Wesley in scoring with 12 points.
“Playing against a great team like CNU, it’s vital for me and some of my other teammates to perform at a high level,” Bowers said.
Once the second half started, Wesley increased its lead by 13 points. CNU called a timeout and started a comeback. Just under two minutes to go, CNU tied the game up.
At the end Wesley came up short, losing by four points.
After the game, Rasahn Brinkley and Burrows said they wanted to finish the season strong.
“After a great competitive game to come up short, we can only learn from our mistakes and move forward,” Brinkley said.
“We have a resilient bunch that know nothing is promise,†Burrows said. “We must stop the costly turnovers and not fall behind.”
Wesley will be looking to reach the playoffs, but will need to go 3-1 in the final 4 games starting with a game against Salisbury on the road.
