Men's Basketball storms back against Virgin Islands

ST. THOMAS, U.S. Virgin Islands - Wiley University men's basketball players Delor Johnson, Tayvion Fisher and Christian Beeke score in double figures, as they helped the Wildcats overcome a double-digit first-half deficit in a 62-57 victory over the University of the Virgin Islands Thursday at the Elridge Blake Sports and Fitness Center.

The Wildcats (11-10, 7-6 GCAC) extend their winning streak to three games - matching their longest of the season. It is the fourth time they've overcome a first-half deficit. They improve to 4-5 on the road, stopping a two-game skid. The win keeps Wiley in a tie for fourth in the conference standings.

Johnson scored 22 points with 16 coming in the second half. It is his 14th game with 20 or more points. He shot 10-for-16 from the field. Fisher followed with 13 for his sixth double-digit scoring game. Beeke tallied 10 points and eight rebounds. Jalen Bates led the team with nine rebounds, five steals and four assists.

Wiley trailed 29-14 at halftime after only hitting four of 19 shot attempts (21 percent). Turnovers limited Wiley's success as it committed 11 with five off steals. In the second half, the Wildcats flipped the script, hitting 21 of 28 shots (75 percent). They forced Virgin Islands into eight turnovers with six coming on steals.

 Devon Barshow hit a pair of shots and stole the ball. A steal by Bates set up a layup by Fisher, who cut the margin to 39-30 with 13:04 left. Bates stole the ball with 6:46 remaining - which led to a layup by Demarius Pitts, who scored off a pass from Fisher. Johnson stole the ball and laid it in to tie the game at 49 with 4:23 left.

The Wildcats took the lead on a layup by Johnson after the Buccaneers missed a 3-pointer. Johnson increased the lead to four with a jumper. With 1:32 left, Virgin Islands trimmed the lead to one, after scoring a layup and one. Beeke scored on a layup while being fouled. He converted at the line to bring the margin back to four. Fisher sealed the game with a 3-pointer with 17 seconds remaining.

Wiley will return to action on February 8 when it visits Rust College. The Bearcats crushed Dillard 81-57 on Thursday.

For more coverage on the Wildcats visit Men's Basketball - Wiley University (wileyathletics.com)

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