Second Half Surge Leads Wesley to Victory

Box Score

DOVER, Del. - Alphonzo Wright turned in his fourth straight double-double and Rashawn Johnson hit six threes to lead Wesley College past Gallaudet 94-72 in the Wolverines' CAC and home opener.

Wright (Dover, Del./Polytech) hit 10-of-13 field goals on his way to 21 points and pulled in a game-high 11 boards. 

And when it wasn't Wright powering his way inside for Wesley (3-3, 1-0 CAC), Johnson (Selbyville, Del./Sussex Tech) was hitting threes from the outside.  The senior hit 6-of-10 threes in the game, one more than Gallaudet (3-3, 0-2 CAC) converted as a team.

The two were part of a great shooting night for the entire team as Wesley hit on 50 percent from the floor, 38 percent from three and sank 17-of-22 from the foul line.  Gallaudet, meanwhile, hit just 28 percent behind the arc and just 11-of-26 from the charity stripe.

The opening 12 minutes of the game were hotly contested with seven lead changes and five ties.  The final tie and lead change, however, came as the Wolverines opened the game up with a 13-1 run started by a Johnson three.  The run built Wesley a 30-21 lead, but the Bison fought back and eventually cut it to two, 32-30, on a three by Johnny Jackson, Jr. with 2:33 left in the half. 

Wesley outscored the Bison 12-3 down the stretch and a Johnson three with one second left in the half sent the Wolverines into the locker room with a 44-33 lead.

In the second half, the Wolverines went up by as many as 27 on two occasions and Johnson was involved in both.  He fed Jon Mason (Philadelphia, Pa./Germantown) on fast break for a 78-51 lead and then nailed a jumper for an 80-53 lead just before the 9:00 minute mark in the game.

The Bison fought back, however, and trimmed the lead to 15 in the waning minutes on a Brandon McMillan free throw with 1:59 to play before the Wolverines scored the game's final five points.

Sekoe White and Tony Tatum led Gallaudet with 19 points apiece.  White had a stellar all-around performance with eight rebounds, five assists and three steals as well.  Jackson added 17.

In addition to Wright and Johnson, two other Wolverines scored at least 15 points.  Evan Martin (Wilmington, Del./Laurinburg {N.C.}) had a strong game with 18 points, six rebounds, seven assists and five steals.  James Stratton (Magnolia, Del./Caesar Rodney) scored 15 off the bench.

Wesley outrebounded the Bison 42-34.

The Wolverines head to Washington (Md.) on December 15 after a break for finals this week.