Wesley Wins CAC Championship
DOVER, Del. - Trailing in the second half, Wesley College hit four straight threes - three by sophomore Rudy Thomas (Milton, Del./Sussex Tech) - to come from behind and earn their first NCAA tournament berth with a 64-51 win over Marymount (Va.) in the CAC Championship game.
The four threes came as part of a 16-0 Wesley run that erased a 42-40 deficit as the Wolverines went ahead 56-42 with 6:08 to play. In addition to Thomas' heroics during the spree, James Stratton (Magnolia, Del./Caesar Rodney) also hit a three and Alphonzo Wright (Dover, Del./Polytech) made a pair of layups.
It completed a comeback from a 31-21 halftime score. Wesley opened the second half with eight straight points on a lay up by Wright and threes by Evan Martin (Wilmington, Del./Laurinburg {N.C.} Institute) and Kevin Johnson (Smyrna, Del./Smyrna).
The Eagles held onto the lead until Wright hit his first three of the year to tie it at 38-38 with 13:04. A lay up by Stratton briefly gave the Wolverines the lead, before Tarek Ammoury and Sam Sentz each scored for Marymount to set up Wesley's game-breaking run.
Marymount had built its 10-point halftime lead with a stingy defense that held Wesley to just seven total field goals in the opening 20 minutes. The Wolverines regrouped, however, to hit 7-of-14 threes in the second half after starting the game just 2-of-16.
Wesley also turned up the heat on defense in the second half, holding the Saints to just 9-of 30 and 0-6 from beyond the arc. Marymount also hit just 4-of-15 free throws in the contest. Wesley, meanwhile, hit all nine of their foul shots on the day.
While the Wolverines' seniors, Martin and Rashawn Johnson (Selbyville, Del./Sussex Tech) each had rare off days shooting the ball, the duo deferred to hot handed teammates in the second half. Wright, Thomas, and Stratton combined to hit 15-of-24 field goals and 7-of-12 threes.
Wright scored 15 points on 6-of-7 shooting and grabbed seven rebounds to go along with three steals. Thomas had 14 points and hit 4-of-6 from beyond the arc., while Stratton added a dozen points.
Rashawn Johnson and Martin contributed in other areas. Johnson had a team-high eight rebounds, while Martin dished out five assists.
Ammoury scored a game-high 17 in the loss. Patrick Prewitt added 10, all in the first half. Rockwell Moody led all players with 10 rebounds.
The conference championship is Wesley's first in men's basketball in 21 years after last winning a title in the old Eastern States Athletic Conference in 1987-88. The win was also Wesley's 18th of the season, surpassing the 1987-88 team's 17 for the school record during the Division III era.
The tournament championship give the Wolverines the CAC's automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Men's Basketball Championships. Wesley awaits the announcement on when, where and who they will face until Monday, March 2. The bracket will be streamed on live video by the NCAA at NCAA.com and simulcast on D3hoops.com's Hoopsville at 11 a.m. ET.
