Wiley men's basketball stumbles against Philander Smith

In a challenging Historically Black Colleges and Universities Athletic Conference (HBCUAC) basketball encounter, the Wiley University men's basketball team rallied from a double-digit deficit in the second half but went cold in a 74-62 loss against Philander Smith University Thursday at Alumni Gymnasium.

The Wildcats (8-9, 6-7 HBCUAC) fall to 2-4 at home.

They extend their losing streak to four against the Panthers, who sweep the regular season series for the second straight year.

For the second straight game, they were without leading scorer Demarius Pitts, who was injured in the Jan.

13 game against Philander Smith.

Despite the loss, Wiley remains in seventh in the conference standings.

Wiley never led and tied the score twice.

It trailed 39-30 at halftime and the margin increased to 12 with 16:43 left in the game.

Tre Booker hit a layup and 3-pointer to trim the margin to five.

Tayvion Fisher and Raymond Guillory hit 3-pointers to tie the game at 53 with 9:40 remaining.

However, the Wildcats struggled in the final stretch, marred by a scoreless run lasting over five minutes during which they missed eight attempts and committed two turnovers.

This cold spell proved costly, allowing the Panthers to pull away with 11 unanswered points and secure their victory.

Wiley was outshot 48.1 to 40.7%, despite shooting a higher percentage from 3-point territory.

The Wildcats were also edged in rebounds, 39-35 and turnovers 15-12.

They allowed 23 points off turnovers.

Raymond Guillory, who started for the second consecutive game, lead the team with 16 points and five rebounds.

Shamir Mosley and Fisher followed with 11 points.

Jalen Bates returned to the lineup and provided seven assists and five rebounds.

The Wildcats won't play until Feb.

3 when it visits Arkansas Baptist College for their final nonconference game.

They lost to the Buffaloes 70-66 at home on Nov.

2..

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