Men's Basketball wins overtime thriller over Rust College

HOLLY SPRINGS, Miss. - Wiley University men's basketball player Shamir Mosley matched his career-high of 23 points and sank the game-winning 3-pointer in the final seconds to lift the Wildcats to a 76-73 overtime victory over Rust College Thursday at the W.A. McMillan Center.

The Wildcats (12-10, 8-6 GCAC) extend their season-long winning streak to four games. They overcame a first-half deficit for the fifth time this season and improved to 2-1 in overtime games. Wiley takes the season series against Rust, gaining the head-to-head tiebreaker.

Twenty of Mosley's 23 points came in the second half. He shot 8-for-12 from the field and 5-for-6 from 3-point territory. Mosley added four rebounds and two assists.

Tayvion Fisher also notched a career-high with 20 points, he was 5-for-8 from 3-point range. It's his sixth straight game scoring in double digits. He also provided three rebounds, two steals and an assist. Devon Barshow recorded his second double-double of the season with 17 points and 10 rebounds. 

Wiley trailed by as many as 14 with 7:21 remaining in the first half. It was held scoreless for over five minutes. Christian Beeke ended the drought with a jumper. Barshow and Fisher hit 3-pointers to cut the margin to 24-17 with 4:!5 left in the first half. A steal by Jalen Bates set up a layup for Fisher, which trimmed the lead to three. The Wildcats trailed 29-25 at halftime.

Mosley hit three shots in the first four minutes of the second half, including a 3-pointer to tie the game at 35. Three-pointers by Fisher and Barshow gave the Wildcats their first lead: 44-43 with 12:09 left. A 3-pointer by Fisher increased the lead to four with 5:09 remaining.

The Wildcats only made one field the remainder of the second half. Rust bounced back and took a 64-62 lead with 53 seconds left. Fisher was fouled and tied the game from the free-throw line with 30 seconds. Rust missed on a layup in the closing seconds, sending the game to overtime.

Both teams held the lead in overtime. Wiley trailed 73-70 with two minutes left. Barshow hit a jumper to tie the game with 25 seconds. Rust's go-ahead jumper was off, and Barshow rebounded the miss to set up Mosley's 3-pointer.

Wiley will wrap up its road trip at Tougaloo College on Saturday. The Bulldogs beat Philander Smith 73-61 to take sole possession of first place in the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference.

For more coverage on the Wildcats visit Men's Basketball - Wiley University (wileyathletics.com)

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