Wiley gets away from Rams in season opener

AUSTIN – Huston-Tillotson University's men's basketball team opened the 2024-25 Friday, but the Rams will have to wait at least a day for their first win as Wiley University prevailed 73-58 Friday.
 
In the second game of the Austin Area Urban League's HBCU Basketball Classic at the Austin Convention Center, the Wildcats used a 13-0 run midway through the second half to establish a comfortable 20-point lead and held off a late charge by the Rams.
 
HT's Charles Hallmon scored 16 points and pulled in eight rebounds to lead the Rams. JahVante' O'Connor came off the bench to score 12 points in his HT debut.
 
Wiley, a former Red River Athletic Conference rival of HT's, got 22 points from Tayvion Fisher and an additional 21 points from Demarius Pitts. Pitts shot 4-of-8 from 3-point range.
 
The teams combined for 51 turnovers, with Wiley committing 28 in the game. However, the Wildcats offset their giveaways by shooting 38 percent (8 of 21) from the 3-point arc and 89.5 percent (17 of 19) from the free throw line.
 
HT trailed only 26-23 heading into halftime before the Wildcats slowly began pulling away early in the second half. But it wasn't until the Wiley's run of 13 unanswered points between the 12:13 and 6:59 marks of the second half when the Wildcats pulled away for good.
 
The Rams continued chipping away at Wiley's lead but were unable to cut the deficit to single-digits for the remainder of the contest.
 
AAUL's HBCU Basketball Classic concludes Saturday with four more games in Exhibit Hall No. 5 at the Austin Convention Center. HT's women's team faces Wiley at 4 p.m., while the HT men will square off with Philander Smith (Ark.) at approximately 6 p.m.
 
The afternoon will start with the Wiley men facing Jarvis Christian at 2 p.m., and conclude with Paul Quinn College's men facing Langston (Okla.), the preseason NAIA No. 1 team, at 8 p.m.
 
– HT –