‘Cats fall by 11 on the road to Davis & Elkins

ELKINS, W.Va.– The West Virginia Wesleyan (2-16, 1-11) men’s basketball team fell to Davis & Elkins (6-9, 4-7) inside the McDonnell Center on Saturday. Braeden McGrew led the Bobcats with 17 points, but the Senators pulled away in the final minutes, winning 80-69.
 
Leaders for WVWC
McGrew’s 17 points helped him surpass double-digit scoring in seven of his last eight games. McGrew played all 40 minutes of the contest. Jayden Hibbitt, Anthony Craven Jr., and Tyler Slone all eclipsed double-digits.
 
Leaders for Davis & Elkins
Sam Rolle IV had a game-high 23 points for the Senators shooting 5-8 from behind the arc. Breland Walton collected a double-double, scoring 18 points and bringing down 12 rebounds. Charleston Ponds finished with 16 points on the afternoon.
 
Inside the First Half
The Senators jumped out to a 14-4 lead in open minutes of the half. McGrew stopped the run by going on a 5-0 of his own. McGrew nailed a jumper with 15:18 in the half and promptly picked his opponent’s pocket. On the next time down, McGrew nailed a pull-up triple from the top of the key to make it a five-point game.
 
D&E would regain their 10 point lead with 12:23 remaining. Over the next 5:14, the ‘Cats would go on a 12-5 run capped off by an Ike Dove and one to make the score 24-27. In a game of runs, the Bobcats made the final run of the half. The Senators mounted an 11 point advantage with 3:48 to play. However, the Orange & Black would hold their opponent scoreless the remainder of the half and go on a 10-0 run to pull within one going into the break.
 
Inside the Second Half
WVWC would gain a two-point advantage coming out of the break after Hibbitt was fouled on a made layup, making it a 41-39 game in the opening minutes. However, both teams traded baskets over the next few possessions seeing the Senators retake the 55-54 lead with 11:15 to play.
 
WVWC would go on a 7-1 run to take their biggest lead of the afternoon with 8:55 remaining. However, the Senators would outscore the Bobcats 25-8 over the game’s final eight minutes to wrap up the contest.