Men's Basketball rallies, falls short in Overtime against Stillman

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - The Wiley University men's basketball team overcame a double-digit deficit, but it could not hold off Stillman College in a 98-97 overtime loss in a Historically Black Colleges and Universities Athletic Conference (HBCUAC) Crossover game on Saturday at Birthright Alumni Hall.

The Wildcats (6-7, 4-5 HBCUAC) drop to 1-3 on the road. It's their third loss when holding a lead in the second half. They trailed by as many as 16 in the first half. Demarius Pitts and Jalen Bates hit 3-pointers to trim the margin to 40-30 at halftime.

In the second half, Wiley made one field goal in the first three minutes, which allowed the Tigers to push the margin to 14. Taj Toney cut the lead to single digits with a layup with 14:56 left. A 3-pointer by Pitts pulled the Wildcats within three. Toney made a layup while being fouled. He converted at the line to give Wiley a 52-51 lead with 12:08 remaining. A 3-pointer by Fisher increased the lead to 61-54 with 9:43 left.

The Wildcats suffered a five-minute scoring drought, which allowed Stillman to pull in front 68-63. Trailing by nine with 33 seconds left, Pitts hit three 3-pointers to pull within two. Stillman split its free throws and Bates hit a game-tying 3-pointer with three seconds left.

Wiley held leads on baskets by Raymond Guillory and Tayvion Fisher. A second-chance bucket put the Tigers up by one with a minute left. Toney hit a layup to give Wiley the lead. Stillman hit a jumper with eight seconds left to take the lead for good.

Pitts led the Wildcats with 28 points, hitting 10 shots with five from 3-point territory. It was his fourth game with 20 or more points. Bates followed with a career-high 20 points - shooting 7-for-11. He added seven rebounds, three assists and two steals. Tayvion Fisher tallied 13 points, seven rebounds, two assists and a steal. Devon Barshow provided 13 points, seven rebounds and three assists. Toney contributed 11 points and four rebounds off the bench.

Wiley will wrap up the Crossover at noon on Monday against Oakwood University. The Ambassadors suffered their 12th straight loss, 75-73 against the University of the Virgin Islands on Saturday.

For more coverage on the Wildcats visit https://wileyathletics.com/sports/mbkb/index

About Wiley University Athletics
Wiley University sponsors 12 varsity sports, women's volleyball, men's and women's soccer, men's and women's cross country, men's and women's basketball, men's and women's indoor track and field, men's and women's outdoor track and field and baseball. It competes in the Historically Black Colleges and Universities Athletic Conference (HBCUAC) and the Continental Athletic Conference for men's and women's soccer.

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