Mary Baldwin wiped out a 14-point, third quarter deficit to take the lead Tuesday evening, but two foul shots in the closing seconds proved to be the difference for N.C. Wesleyan as the Battling Bishops escaped the PAC with a 60-58 conference victory.
A tough shooting first half left MBU in a big hole. The Squirrels made just 6-of-27 shots in the first two quarters and trailed by 11 points, 31-20, at the half.
The Bishops took their biggest lead of the game, 40-26, with 6:38 left in the third quarter. N.C. Wesleyan failed to score during the remainder of the quarter and the Squirrels reeled off 15 unanswered points to take the lead.
Jalen Gathers knocked down a 3-pointer and Hannah Varner swished a jumper to slice the margin to single digits, 40-31. After Gathers made 1-of-2 at the foul line, Demet Saygili scored on a driving layup, making the score 40-34. Gathers hit two shots jumpers to make it a one possession game and Saygili followed with a 3-pointer with 1:07 left in the quarter, giving MBU a 41-40 advnatage heading into the final period.
The lead changed hands seven times and the scored was tied three times in the final 10 minutes.
Buckets by Mya Coleman and Mary Moran gave the Squirrels a 50-46 lead with 3:50 remaining in the game.
The Bishops stayed closed and two foul shots by Kayrisma Harrison gave the Bishops a 58-55 lead with 33 seconds left. Mary Baldwin used a timeout to move possession to the front court and Gathers drained a long 3-pointer with 18 seconds left to tie the score at 58-58.
Deonna Adams was fouled on a drive to the basket with 5.1 seconds to go and hit both foul shots for a two-point, 60-58 Bishops' lead. Again, MBU used a timeout to move the ball to the frontcourt and Saygili got a good look at a potential game-tying 12-footer, but the shot rimmed out and the Bishops left the PAC with the two-point win.
Gathers scored 21 points to lead the Squirrels and Saygili added 19 points.
The Squirrels face a quick turnaround as they travel to Winston-Salem, N.C., for a Wednesday evening matchup at Salem College.