Basketball Recap: Tysen Jefferson's Big Game Can't Quite Lead Wharton over Charlotte

Despite a phenomenal run in the regular season, Wharton couldn't carry that success into this playoff game. They took a 64-60 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Charlotte Fightin' Tarpons. The Wildcats were given a dose of their own medicine in this game as the Fightin' Tarpons apparently hadn't forgotten their loss the last time these teams played back in February of 2023.

Several Wildcats players turned in solid performances despite ultimately coming up short. Perhaps the best among those players was Tysen Jefferson, who went 8-for-13 to rack up 22 points. The team also got some help courtesy of Jayson Montgomery, who went 5-for-7 en route to 16 points.

Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead Charlotte to victory, but perhaps none more so than Dior Evans, who went 8-for-12 on his way to 17 points. What's more, Evans also posted a 67% field goal percentage, which is the highest he's achieved since back in January of 2024. Khrye Ellis was another key player, going 5-for-10 to rack up 12 points and seven boards.

Wharton's defeat dropped their record down to 23-7. As for Charlotte, they have been performing incredibly well recently as they've won 14 of their last 15 contests. That's provided a nice bump to their 22-6 record this season.

Wharton does not have any more games scheduled as of now. Charlotte will get to enjoy the win for a while: their next game is against St. Thomas Aquinas at 11:00 a.m. on March 6th. Charlotte knows how to get points on the board -- the team has finished with 55 points or more in their past ten matchups -- so hopefully St. Thomas Aquinas likes a good challenge.