Coaches in Christ defeats Team 212, 61-59

By Mark Carroll - Blog Coordinator

Marques Oliver and Bishop Daniels made crucial plays down the stretch to lead Coaches in Christ to a stunning comeback victory over Team 212.

A forward from Delaware State, Oliver scored 13 of his team's 15 first quarter points as he displayed excellent offensive play from the inside-out. NCCU stars C.J. Wilkerson and Landon Clement were huge for Team 212, as the two nailed three pointers to lead their team to a 20-15 advantage at the end of the first quarter.

Clement continued to snipe out baskets from deep as his teammate Dijon Manns got his hands dirty down low. Marcus Wells hit two of four free throws early in the second quarter which led Team 212 to a 31-19 lead.

Word of God guard Bishop Daniels kept Coaches in Christ in the game with aggressive play on both ends. After his reverse two-handed dunk and floater off the glass, Coaches in Christ trailed only by five, but Oliver and Wells found some points before intermission that led to a 36-28 halftime lead for Team 212.

Daniels, who had 16 points on the night, continued to drop points on Team 212 in the second half. His lay-up midway through the third quarter gave Coaches in Christ their first lead of the half at 45-44. Manns' post play on the other end shortly regained the advantage for Team 212, but Coaches in Christ led going into the final quarter after a lay-in at the buzzer by Oliver, which made for two of his 26 points.

The game was up for grabs in a low scoring fourth period, and it appeared that Coaches in Christ was sure to take it away when Daniels hit the second of two free throws with 1:18 on the clock to give the team a five point lead. Wilkerson finally breathed some life into Team 212 with a clutch three, cutting the lead to 61-59 with under a minute remaining.

With 10.8 seconds to go, Oliver stepped up to the charity stripe with a chance to make it a two possession game, but missed each of the two free throws. On the final possession, Clement was unable to get open for Team 212, and Charles Futrell threw up a deep prayer from the top of the key that would not fall. Daniels pulled down the rebound and Coaches in Christ escaped with a 61-59 win.