MISENHEIMER, N.C. (Jan. 30, 2026) — Pfeiffer sophomore
Drake Stewart had 17 points off the bench and
Doug Smith added 17 more as Pfeiffer rolled over visiting N.C. Wesleyan 98–79 on Friday night at Merner Gym in a USA South men's basketball game.
Pfeiffer (10–8, 6–2 USA South) shot 33 of 43 from the free-throw line and dominated the glass 40–30, helping the Falcons turn a six-point halftime lead into a convincing conference win. Pfeiffer's bench outscored the Battling Bishops' reserves 52–46.
Smith went 7 of 9 from the field and added five rebounds. Stewart shot 6 of 9 and knocked down a pair of 3-pointers, while
Justin Gaten and
Sunni Wrice each scored 11 for the Falcons.
Zach Sloan and
Sean Sucarichi chipped in with eight points apiece.
N.C. Wesleyan (14–5, 6–2 USA South) was led by Markquan Gilbert's game-high 25 points on 11-of-17 shooting. Nasir Johnson added 23 points, including two 3-pointers, and Justin Burden and James Jones each grabbed five rebounds. The Bishops shot a solid 32 of 58 from the floor but committed 29 fouls, leading to Pfeiffer's large free-throw disparity.
Pfeiffer outscored N.C. Wesleyan 52–42 in the second half and used a series of scoring bursts early after the break to stretch its advantage. Stewart's 3-pointer with 16:13 remaining pushed the lead to nine, and Smith's dunk at the 14:24 mark made it 60–49.
The highlight of the night came at the 10:47 mark when Stewart beat his defender off the dribble and threw down a one-handed poster dunk on a NCWU defender that ignited the Merner Gym crowd.
Gilbert kept N.C. Wesleyan within reach, scoring 11 points in the first eight minutes of the half, but the Bishops never drew closer than six. Pfeiffer followed with a 16–6 run, highlighted by another Stewart dunk and a Gaten layup, building a 79–66 cushion with just over five minutes left.
Smith's dunk with 45 seconds remaining punctuated Pfeiffer's wire-to-wire night inside, as the Falcons scored 38 points in the paint.
The Falcons, winners of six straight games, will return to play on Tuesday, Feb. 4 with a 7:00 p.m. USA South road game at William Peace.
