BUCKHANNON, W.Va. – West Virginia Wesleyan men’s basketball lost at home on Wednesday night to Concord 78-64. Concord controlled the glass all night, outrebounding the Bobcats 45-27 and pulling down 20 offensive rebounds, which turned into 21 second chance points.
Concord started the game off with an emphatic alley-oop dunk. Tyler Slone picked up right where he left off, scoring the first points for the Bobcats. The Mountain Lions grew an early advantage but the Bobcats continued to stay with them, never letting the lead grow to more than five. Concord took a 21-18 lead into the under-10 media timeout, getting scoring from all around.
Wesleyan used a 12-2 run to gain its own lead, building as big as a ten-point cushion in the final minutes of the half. Concord responded, trimming the lead down to five at the break. Tyler Slone, Darius Miller, and Jackson Rhodes all sat in double-figures at half.
Concord’s JJ Harper hit a three just seconds in the second half to get the Mountain Lions amped up. CU’s leading scorer, Daniel Rahama, picked up the slack from his slow start by hitting a wing three to give Concord the lead back. WVWC shot only 26.7% from the field in the second half, allowing the Mountain Lions to pull away.
Kabe Ellis returned to the game after sustaining an injury at the beginning of the half, banking in a three from the top of the key to cut the lead under 10. Concord continued to answer, shutting the door on the Bobcats.
Darius Green led Wesleyan with 25 points and seven rebounds. Tyler Slone chimed in 16 and Jackson Rhodes finished with 11. Only five Bobcats found the scoring column tonight.
Concord used a balanced attack with five different players scoring in double-digits. They were led by JJ Harper, who finished with 18 points on 6-9 shooting. Daniel Rahama closed the game with 12 points, nine rebounds and seven assists.
The Bobcats hit the road on Saturday, traveling to Glenville State for a weekend MEC matchup at 4 p.m.
