Men's Basketball struggles against Tougaloo College

The Wiley University men's basketball team struggled to hit shots in a 68-50 loss to Tougaloo College in a Gulf Coast Athletic Conference game Saturday at Alumni Gymnasium.

The Wildcats (7-8, 3-4 GCAC) drop to 3-3 at home. It is their first double-digit home loss since February 10, 2023. Wiley was outshot 47.5 to 32.8 percent and outrebounded 45-33. It won the turnover battle 16-12.

Delor Johnson led the Wildcats with 16 points while adding five rebounds and a steal. Demarius Pitts followed with 10 points, five rebounds, three assists and three steals. Jalen Bates, the GCAC assists leader, put up five and recorded three steals.

Wiley didn't score until 15:52 left in the first half – missing its first six shots. This allowed Tougaloo to open the game on a seven-point run. Christian Beeke ended the drought with a jumper. Johnson followed with a layup. Wiley was held scoreless for three-minutes which allowed the margin to grow to double-digits. It trailed by as many as 18 and went into the locker room with a 13-point deficit.

The Wildcats didn't mount a rally in the second half as Tougaloo increased its lead to 24 points. Everyone got minutes including James Rudd Jr. and Caliebria McDonald, who made their season debuts.

Wiley will return to the court on January 13 when it hosts Philander Smith University. The Panthers defeated Rust College 82-73.

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

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