Bad first half costs Wesleyan in 72-52 loss to Battlers

BUCKHANNON, W.Va. – The West Virginia Wesleyan (2-19, 1-14) men’s basketball team got careers highs in both minutes played and points from Ike Dove. The Ashburn, Va. native poured in 12 points and played 25 minutes on Saturday (Feb. 5) against the Alderson Broaddus Battlers (10-10, 7-9). The Battlers took the contest 72-52 inside Rockefeller Center.
 
Leaders for WVWC
Dove had 12 points while shooting 6-for-12 from the floor. Braeden McGrew had a team-high 15 points while sinking the team’s only three points baskets in the contest. Tommie Pope added 14 points shooting 6-for-12 from the floor.
 
Leaders for Alderson Broaddus
Coryon Rice led all scorers with 16 points shooting 4-for-8 from three-point land. KJ Walker scored 12 points on 4-for-6 shooting from the field. Walker also distributed five assists. Vincent Smalls was the final Battlers in double digits scoring 11 points and bringing down eight rebounds.
 
Inside the First Half
Dove got his first start of the season for the ‘Cats. The redshirt sophomore responded by pouring the first basket of the day for the Orange & Black. Tommie Pope even the contest up at four apiece when he picked the pocket of the AB ball-handler and took it the other way for a layup.
 
The Bobcats took an 8-6 lead on back-to-back baskets from Jayden Hibbitt. The Battlers responded with a 12-3 run to take an 18-9 lead. The Battlers controlled the first half holding the Bobcats, scored just seven points in the final 9:18 of the half. AB took a 34-16 lead into the intermission.
 
Inside the Second Half
The Orange & Black could not stop the bleeding, with AB taking a 43-20 lead with 16:17 remaining. At the 13:41 mark Pope hit back-to-back jumpers in the paint to bring the WVWC total to 26.
 
McGrew hit his second triple in as many possessions with 3:56 remaining to score 66-45. Pope forced the Battler ball-handler into turnovers on consecutive possessions, with both leading to layups on the opposite end. Mekhi Barlow hit the back-end of a pair of free throws with 1:58 remaining.
 
Up Next
The ‘Cats head to Charleston to take on the Golden Eagles on Wednesday. Tip-off is set for 7:30.