Wesley’s Last-Second Shot Lifts Carson-Newman to 65-64 Win Over Alabama-Huntsville

JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. — Junior guard J.J. Wesley (Mobile, Ala.) drilled a jumper with 1.6 seconds left in regulation to lift the Carson-Newman men’s basketball team to a 65-64 victory over Alabama-Huntsville on Monday night at Holt Fieldhouse.

With the win, the Eagles (3-1) extend their winning streak to three games and even the season series with the Chargers at 1-1. UAH falls to 3-1 on the season.

“We were trying to keep the ball in the hands of the guys that can make plays,” C-N coach Dale Clayton said of the Eagles’ final possession. “J.J. (Wesley) is our best shooter, and we were able to find him with a good pass by Cameron (Sharp).”

After shooting just 34.5 percent in its season-opening loss to the Chargers, C-N shot 42.4 (25-of-59) percent from the field on Monday, while UAH made 42.9 percent (24-of-56) of their attempts.

“We went down there (to Alabama-Huntsville) and scored 16 points in the first half,” Clayton said of C-N’s season-opening loss. “We couldn’t make a shot. We did a much better job of making shots (Monday).”

Wesley paced the Eagles with 15 points, while senior forward Darron Maxtion (Huntsville, Ala.) added 14 points and grabbed seven rebounds.

Senior guard Jordan Dixon (Clinton, Tenn.) and sophomore guard Cameron Sharp (Knoxville, Tenn.) netted 12 points apiece in the win. Dixon also pulled down seven rebounds.

Derek Johnston poured in 18 points on 6-of-11 shooting from behind the arc to lead four Chargers in double figures. Josh Magette tossed in 14 points, while Cody Jones tallied 12 points and grabbed six rebounds. Elliott Jones added 11 points and eight rebounds in the loss.

C-N and UAH battled to a 10-10 tie through the first five minutes of the contest. Sharp then sank a pair of free throws at the 13:15 mark to give the Eagles the lead for the remainder of the half at 12-10.

The Eagles shot 47.1 percent from the field during the first 20 minutes to take a 41-30 lead into the locker room.

The Chargers opened the second half on a 21-9 run capped by a Johnston 3-pointer that gave UAH a 51-50 lead with 8:45 left in the game.

Johnston then made three 3-pointers over the next four minutes to help the Chargers build their biggest lead of the game at 62-57.

But the Eagles closed out the contest on a 9-2 run, including Wesley’s jumper with 1.6 seconds remaining. Senior Tray Okoth (Richmond, Va.) then stole the ball at the other end to seal the win. Okoth finished the night with six points, a game-high nine rebounds and three steals.

C-N returns to action over the weekend in the Dick Campbell Memorial Classic at Holt Fieldhouse. The Eagles will play Georgia College on Friday at 6 p.m. and North Georgia on Saturday at 4 p.m.