Wilson's Buzzer-Beater Lifts Eagles to 81-80 Win Over Welch
| Final | 1 | 2 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Williams Baptist (AR) | 37 | 44 | 81 |
|
Welch | 43 | 37 | 80 |
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (11/12/24) – Junior Amarion Wilson knocked down a last second triple to lift the Williams Baptist men's basketball team to an 81-80 victory over Welch College on Tuesday night.
DJ Townsend led the scoring for the Eagles with 19 points on the night on an 8-for-16 clip from the field. Rico Quinton followed close behind with 17 on 6-for-9. Wilson scored 12 points and Aiden Berry finished in double figures with 11.
As a team, WBU shot 41.3 percent from the field on 31-for-75 and went 5-for-21 from three-point range. The Eagles out-rebounded the Flames 49-43 and scored 25 second chance points.
Welch took an early 12-9 lead on a three from Isak Eriksson, but Williams came back to tie the ballgame at 15 with a layup from Elisha Cofield. WBU took the lead on a tip-in from EJ Johnson, but another Eriksson trey gave Welch a 29-27 lead. Berry got the Eagles within two with 1:47 left in the first, but the Eagles were unable to tie the game and went into the locker room down 43-37.
Welch took its largest lead of the night early in the second half after a Jonah Randall three pushed the score to 51-40. WBU responded with a 9-0 run capped off by a Berry jumper that brought Williams back within two.
After Welch pushed its lead back to eight with 10 minutes to go, Williams went on an 8-0 run to tie the game at 61. Welch fought back, denying WBU the lead again and taking a 76-68 advantage with four minutes remaining.
WBU made its last stand with a minute and a half remaining in the contest after a Quinton jumper brought the Eagles within one. After Welch made a free throw on the other end WBU had 20 seconds left down 80-78. The Eagles went down the court and Wilson buried a wide-open three at the buzzer to give Williams the 81-80 win. WBU never led in the second half until Wilson's walk-off three.
The win moves the Eagles to 3-1 on the season. Next, the team will travel to Jackson, Tenn. for an exhibition matchup with Union. Tip-off against the Bulldogs is set for 7 p.m.