Charlotte, NC - Johnson & Wales Charlotte fell to Bluefield State 116-109 in the final regular season contest on Monday night.

The two teams played a torrid first half that ended with the Big Blues leading by three, 62-59. Bluefield State shot 62.9% from the field and made 9 of 19 three point attempts. Their shooting percentage was bettered by the Wildcats, who shot 74.2% from the field. Bluefield State led by as many as six on a few occasions in the first twenty minutes before the Wildcats responded to build an eight point advantage with six minutes to play. The Big Blues tied it up with 2:13 left in the half, and grabbed the locker room lead with a Malik Tidwell three pointer ten seconds before the halftime horn.

The second half proved to be a back and forth affair for the first thirteen minutes with the teams trading baskets seemingly at will. Bluefield State put together a decisive 8-0 run that gave them a 97-90 advantage with 6:50 left. That would prove to be pivotal, as the Wildcats could get no closer than three points the rest of the way.

Anthoney Ray scored 34 points to lead the Wildcats. Jaylen Benson-Hollinhead had 20 points to go along with 11 rebounds. Nathan Meshida and Zyrion Wilkins combined for 27 points, 7 rebounds, 7 assists, and 4 steals. 

With the regular season complete, JWU awaits to see if they will receive a bid to the USCAA National Championships. Those bids will be announced on March 4th.