BUENA VISTA, Va. – After two weeks away from competition for the Holiday break, the Southern Virginia University men's basketball team resumed play Wednesday afternoon, falling to NC Wesleyan in a nail-biting contest that featured the USA South Athletic Conference's top two teams.

A pair of free throws gave the Bishops a nine-point lead with 1:06 remaining in the game, but the Knights never gave up, forcing three turnovers in the final minute of play to give themselves a chance. Shaun Kenedy, who was announced as conference player and rookie of the week for his performances at the Holiday Classic, knocked down two free throws to cut the deficit back to seven.

On the ensuing inbound, Kenedy's on-ball pressure forced Khalid Chavis-Hinds to dribble out of bounds directly in front of the Southern Virginia bench, causing an eruption from players and coaches. The mayhem was ratcheted up a notch after Kenedy used an Abe Connolly screen to create separation from his defender and drained a three-pointer, making the NC Wesleyan lead just four with 56 seconds to go.

Brayden Dixon was sent to the free throw line after a Koa Baker foul. Dixon sunk the first attempt from the charity stripe but would fail to convert on the second attempt. Baker pulled down the rebound and found Malakai Olson who was streaking wide open down the middle of the court. Olson would finish an acrobatic layup through pressure to make it a three-point game with 44 seconds left, sending Knight Arena into pandemonium.

The Knights then forced another Bishops turnover after Baker and Connolly converged on Chavis-Hinds who, while trying to hand the ball off to a teammate, lost control of the ball. Baker would give possession right back to NC Wesleyan after his inbound pass to Kenedy was stolen by Dixon who drove the length of the floor and made an easy layup to push his teams lead to five.

After a Bishops timeout, the Knights looked to set up a three-point opportunity for Bryan Tapia, but it was well-defended, forcing the team to its next look. Kenedy got past his defender and dished the ball to a cutting Baker who finish through traffic to again make it a three-point contest.

Following a Southern Virginia timeout, Austin Manley was fouled and sent to the free throw line for two shots. Just like Dixon, Manley, who scored a game-high 18-points off the bench, knocked down just one of two free throws. After grabbing the rebound, Baker darted down the court, causing multiple Bishops to converge, leaving Connolly wide open. Connolly's fourth three-pointer of the contest cut the deficit to one with 11 seconds remaining.

Kenedy would intercept a pass with less than five seconds on the clock. He tried to get to the basket but was cut off by two Bishops defenders. Kenedy kicked it out to Connolly who against found himself with plenty of space. He got his shot off just before the buzzer sounded but it fell short, giving NC Wesleyan a one-point triumph in the first league game for both schools.

"That was a very good NC Wesleyan team that we lost to today," exclaimed Head Coach Adam Wardenburg. "It was a battle between two very tough, very physical teams. We battled though, fought through adversity and had a chance to win, but unfortunately came up just short in the end."

Offensively, the Knights were led by Malakai Olson who scored a team-high 17 points while shooting a very efficient 64 percent from the field. Abe Connolly's 16 points and four three-pointers were both season-highs for the freshman. Koa Baker recorded another double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds while also dishing out six assists. Shaun Kenedy, who was held in check by stellar defense from Khalid Chavis-Hinds, also recorded six assists and added eight points.

"Defensively, our game plan was good, they didn't do anything that surprised us," added Wardenburg. "We just need to rebound better and do a better job of getting stops when we need them!"

"Overall I'm proud of our guys, but we need to continue to improve. We will get there, and we've still got over half our season left, but we have to keep getting better together and stay connected."

The Knights will continue conference play on Saturday, Jan. 7 when they travel to Brevard to take on the Tornados.

For all the most up-to-date information regarding Southern Virginia University men's basketball, visit knightathletics.com and follow @knight_hoops on Instagram.