ELIZABETH CITY, N.C. – Mid-Atlantic Christian University used a dominant first half to pull away from Warren Wilson College and cruised to an 89–66 non-conference victory Wednesday night.

The Mustangs outscored the Owls 49–43 after halftime and shot 55.3% from the field in the second half to turn a manageable halftime lead into a comfortable win. MACU (5-9 overall, 1-0 NSAC) finished the game shooting 48.1% overall and held Warren Wilson to 41.7%.

“This was great victory for the team,” said Mustangs head coach Charles Sims. “We played a tough first half of the season against NCAA DI, DII and DIII opponents that prepared us for games like today.”

Janus Shepherd led the Mustangs with 20 points, hitting three 3-pointers and adding five rebounds. Stewart Clough added 13 points and five rebounds, while Tyus Williams chipped in 10 points and six boards.

“The team’s mindset from the start was to defend our home court, and they did exactly that,” Sims added. “Janus Shepherd’s contribution for the team was tremendous along with Stew Clough and Tyus Williams. This was an all-out team effort, and now we must continue to take a one-game-at-a-time approach to reach the vision that the team has for completing this season.”

Warren Wilson was led by Kharye Bland, who scored 15 points, and Tyah Williams, who added 13, but the Owls struggled from long range, making just 4 of 24 attempts from beyond the arc.

MACU forced 22 turnovers and turned them into 25 points, helping the Mustangs build a lead that grew to as many as 29 points in the second half.

Image courtesy Carl Lewis