DANVILLE, Va. - The NC Wesleyan College men's basketball team returned to action on Saturday afternoon and fell 75-56 on the road at rival Averett University (Va.) after a long hiatus due to the holiday break and Covid protocols.

Averett got off to a strong start leading 13-4 early before taking a 42-26 halftime edge on 48.5 percent shooting while holding the Bishops to just 30 percent first half shooting. 

In the second half, AU would again run out to a 13-3 lead to take a 55-29 advantage and cruise to the 19-point win as each team shot 44 percent in the second half with AU winning the half 33-30.

Junior forward Isaiah Lewis led the Bishops with 13 points along with 3 rebounds and a block while sophomore guard Marquis Eskew recorded 11 points with 4 rebounds and a block. 

Fellow junior forward Sal-Bey Young then led the team in rebounds with 11 while also scoring 8 points with 2 steals and 2 blocks. Sophomore guard Austin Manley also grabbed 8 points with 4 rebounds off the bench while junior guard Brayden Dixon led with 3 assists and scored 6 points with 3 rebounds and 2 steals.

Wesleyan falls to 9-4 overall and 1-1 in the conference while Averett improves to 5-8 and 2-1 in the conference.

The Bishops will next return home to host William Peace on Monday evening at 7:30 PM.