Men’s Basketball edges Arkansas Baptist

Playing in front of a capacity crowd, the Wiley College men’s basketball team went to the wire to pull out a 73-70 Homecoming victory over Arkansas Baptist College Saturday at Alumni Gymnasium.

The victory was Joseph Flegler’s first as head coach of the Wildcats. It was Wiley College’s 16th straight win in its home opener. It outshot Arkansas Baptist 49-40 percent, including 38.5 to 25.9 percent from 3-pointer territory. The Wildcats outrebounded the Buffaloes 41-29.

In a game – which featured 16 lead changes and seven ties, Wiley College held a 39-38 halftime lead after Demarius Houston hit a three at the buzzer. The Buffaloes pulled out to a four-point lead early in the second half. A layup by Kameron Fitzpatrick and a 3-pointer by Deonte Spencer put Wiley College in front.

Arkansas Baptist (3-2) retook the lead with nine minutes remaining in the first half but that’s when the Wildcats made their run. Christian Beeke was fouled on an offensive rebound and sank both free throws to put Wiley College back in front. Beeke made a layup and Shamir Mosley followed with a 3-pointer to extend the advantage to six. 

A pair of 3-pointers by Arkansas Baptist helped trim the margin to three. Maurice Harvey doubled the lead with a three with 3:18 left in the game. Six missed free throws by the Wildcats allowed the Buffaloes to hang around. They had a chance to tie the game but their last second 3-pointer rolled off the rim.

For the second consecutive game, Harvey led the Wildcats in scoring with 17 points, hitting on six of eight shot attempts. He went 4-for-5 from 3-point territory while also contributing five rebounds and two assists. Beeke followed with 11 points and five rebounds. David Williams tallied nine points and nine rebounds, leaving him one short of a double-double. Justin Minter added nine points and seven assists.

The Wildcats (1-1) will continue their homestand at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday against Texas College. The Steers are coming off a 75-72 victory over Dallas Christian College on Thursday. Qyrique Dabon led the team with 16 points. Sceik Donkore led the Steers with eight rebounds and seven assists.

Tuesday’s game will mark the first time the Wildcats and Steers have met outside of conference play. The series dates back to 1948-49. The Wildcats have won 35 of the 61 recorded meetings.