Men's Basketball dominates Virgin Islands in HBCUAC Championship Opening Round

The No. 9 seed Wiley University men's basketball team used stout defense and had contributions throughout its lineup in a 95-72 rout over No. 8 University of the Virgin Islands in the opening round of the Historically Black Colleges and Universities Athletic Conference (HBCUAC) 2025 Hope Credit Union Basketball Championship Thursday at Birthright Alumni Hall.

The Wildcats (10-13) asserted themselves from the opening tip, scoring the first 12 points. They forced the Buccaneers into five turnovers. Jalen Bates and Shamir Mosley both got steals and layups. Demarius Pitts and Taj Toney also contributed buckets. Wiley forced 16 turnovers with eight steals.

Amayoa'ah Phillips tried to rally Virgin Islands, hitting a pair of shots and making three free throws after being fouled on a 3-pointer, pulling the Buccaneers within five. Pitts hit a 3-pointer, Mosley stole the ball and scored and later hit a 3-pointer to increase the margin to 13. The lead remained double digits the rest of the game. Tayvion Fisher hit a 3-pointer with 4:16 left that pushed the margin above 20 points. Wiley led 47-26 at halftime.

Virgin Islands struck first in the second half and cut the lead to 15 points. Shots made by Devon Barshow and Toney brought the lead back to 20 points. Being comfortably ahead, Joseph Flegler started emptying his bench. 

Fisher led the Wildcats with a career-high 29 points - scoring 24 in the second half. He hit eight shots, including three 3-pointers and also contributed three rebounds. Mosley followed with 14 points and two steals. Raymond Guillory provided 11 points off the bench with five rebounds. Bates tallied eight points, three assists and three steals. Bobby Baker III posted seven points, five rebounds, four assists and three steals. Twelve Wildcats scored and had assists on 16 of their 32 field goals. On Defense, Cortez Collins blocked five shots and grabbed five rebounds.

The Wildcats will meet the HBCUAC regular season co-champion and No. 1 seed Stillman College in the quarterfinals at 8 p.m. Friday. The Tigers won an overtime thriller against the Wildcats on January 4 on the same court.

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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