HOUGHTON, NY – Jordan Holmes tied a career-high with 32 points, but Ty McBride and the Wells Express fended off a late comeback run to defeat the Houghton Highlanders on Thursday night, 101-87.
 
McBride scored 26 points to lead the Express, including 17 in the first half and offered a calming ball-handling presence as the Highlanders challenged down the stretch.  

While the opening minutes of the game remained close, the Express opened up a sizeable lead in the second 10 minutes of the first half, taking an 18-point lead into the break, 47-29.
 
Wells quickly increased that margin to 22 points in the opening minutes of the second half, but Houghton slowly began to chip away.  Over a three minute stretch the Highlanders reeled off a 10-run, but the Express answered, building their lead back to 17 points with 9:09 left to play in the game.
 
Again Houghton chipped away at the Express, until, with less than four minutes to play, Josh Jordan hit a layup and Preston Bax nailed a three to cut the deficit to only seven points. 
 
That, however, would be as close as the Highlanders would come, as the McBride and the Express pulled away down the stretch.
 
GAME VITALS
Score: Houghton – 87 | Wells – 101
Records: Houghton: 0-8 | Wells: 5-5
Venue: The Nielsen Center, Houghton College | Attendance: 102

NOTABLE STATS
>> Holmes shot 11-of-20 shooting, including 6-for-11 from beyond the arc.  He also grabbed nine boards and dished out four assists.
 
>> AJ Bass added 12 points and six assists for the Highlanders, while Preston Bax chipped in 11 points.
 
>> Dylan Perry posted 17 points and three steals for the Express, and Jarek Feliz scored 15 points and grabbed eight rebounds.
 
UP NEXT
The Highlanders return to the Nielsen Center on Saturday for another non-conference tilt against SUNY Geneseo at 4:00 p.m.