Mid-Atlantic Christian hung on for more than a half, but a big and strong squad from NC Wesleyan pulled away in the second half to put away the Mustangs 79-51. 

NCWC (1-0) led by as many as 18 in the opening stanza before the Herd chipped away with a 15-9 run, finished by Will Artis' 3-pointer to trim it to 41-29 with 45 seconds to go before the half. Joseph Hill then opened second half on a tear, scoring MACU's first seven points and cutting the deficit to as few as nine. But that was as close as the Herd could get, with the Bishops outscoring the Mustangs by 20 over a 16-minute stretch to slowly put the game away.

Mustangs coach Neal Alligood was pleased overall with his team's effort. "I knew we were up against a tough team. I said at the half we were down 12 to a team that was down to ECU by 10 late in the (exhibition) game.  Coach Thompson and his staff are always prepared and have their guys ready to play. This was going to be the toughest team we have faced so far and the biggest. I challenged my guys to not be afraid and to play all out.  I feel that is what we did for the better part of the game."

This was MACU's 5th straght loss, but Coach Alligood saw some things that they could build upon. "Hats off to NC Wesleyan for finishing strong and extending the lead, but I'm still very proud of our effort tonight. I think our attitudes are holding up ok in the midst of a tough stretch." 

MACU junior Marquice Sims led all scorers with 21 points.  Sophomore forward Joseph Hill scored 15 points on 7-of-8 shooting from the field.  The Bishops were led by Eric Dortch-Jones' 15 points.

Things don't get any easier for the Mustang men. In the next two weeks, they face consecutive road games against two NCAA Division 2 opponents then their first ever D1 foe, VMI. 

[Box Score]