Box Score Charlotte, NC – The Wildcats (3-12) took on the Cougars of Averett University this evening looking to extend their home court winning streak to two. The Wildcats got off to a fast start and controlled the play in the first half taking a 36-29 halftime lead. The Cougars would battle back in the second half and prove too much for the Wildcats, winning 80-70.
JWU broke open a tight game with a 7-0 run over the course of 90 seconds to take a 10-4 lead at the 15:09 mark. A three pointer by Jay Keller extended the Wildcat lead to 9 at 19-10 with eight minutes left in the half. Averett would cut the lead to one at 22-21 on a Sunil Ram three pointer. The Wildcats would regain control and extend their lead to seven at the half.
The teams battled back and forth for the first four minutes of the second half. The Cougars would use a 10-0 run over the next three and a half minutes to take a 51-43 lead. The Wildcats would claw back into the game, cutting the Averett lead to two at 54-52 on a Jay Keller three pointer with ten minutes to play. A Sunil Ram jumper allowed the Cougars to extend the lead back to eight at the 9:02 mark. Kindrick Anderson almost single-handedly brought the Wildcats back to tie the score at 66. Anderson had seven of the 10 Wildcat points during the 10-2 run. Unfortunately, JWU could not get over the hump as Averett made the winning plays down the stretch, pulling away for an 80-70 win.
Mario Irby led the way for the Wildcats with his first career double-double. He had 13 points and 10 rebounds. Anderson and Robbie Sterling followed Irby with 17 and 14 points, respectively. Anderson also contributed 6 steals and Joshua Cohen added 7 rebounds.
The Wildcats will next play at home when they host a double header on Tuesday, December 18th. The Junior Varsity Wildcats will take on Hines Prep Academy at 5pm, followed by the Varsity Wildcats vs. Guilford College at 7:30pm.
