Youngsters Help Wesley March Over Marymount

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ARLINGTON, Va. - Sophomore David Langan, as well as freshmen Quincy Pettiford and JJ Bryant, led Wesley College's men's basketball team to a historic 63-58 victory over Marymount University on Wednesday night at the Verizon Sports Arena. The Wolverines improve to 10-12 on the season and 8-5 in the Capital Athletic Conference while the Saints fall to 5-17 overall and 1-12 in league play.

The trio combined to score 45 points on 17-of-24 shooting, paced by Langan's game-high 17 points on 7-of-9 shooting and career-high 15 rebounds.  Pettiford (6-of-9) and Bryant (4-of-6) added 14 points apiece as Pettiford's total was a season-high.

With the victory, Wesley' men's basketball team now has 250 all-time victories since becoming a Division III program in the 1986-87 season. 

Additionally, combined with Hood College's loss to Mary Washington, the Wolverines clinched a spot in the six-team CAC Tournament after advancing to the Conference Championship Game the last three seasons. Wesley is currently in a three-way tie for third place with York (Pa.) and Frostburg at 8-5 in conference play.  The Wolverines take on the Spartans next Wednesday after falling in the previous meeting on November 30.  Wesley won both meetings with the Bobcats this year.

Wesley dominated inside throughout the game, holding a 38-6 advantage on points in the paint.  The Wolverines out-rebounded the Saints by a mere 37 to 31 margin, but Wesley was able to turn 15 offensive rebounds into 17 second-chance points while Marymount scored just three points on 12 put-back opportunities.

An auspicious start helped Wesley lead by as many as 18 three-quarters through the first half but Marymount scored ten straight points to cut that deficit to 28-18 with 2:34 left in the opening period.  The Wolverines would go into halftime with a 31-21 lead as Pettiford slammed home a dunk on a breakaway just before time expired.

Jumpers by Paul Reynolds and Chris Douglas to open the second half increased Wesley's lead to 35-21 with 18:38 remaining in regulation but Marymount went on a 19-6 run to cut the lead to 41-40 at the 13:20 mark.

Once again, Wesley answered the charge with a run of their own, and extended its lead back to double-digits with five minutes left to seal the victory.

Wentworth Gymnasium is the site of Wesley's next contest as the Wolverines host St. Mary's (Md.) on Saturday, February 11 for a 4 pm CAC matchup.