Dawgs Fall in Tough Loss to Arkansas Baptist

NASHVILLE (January 22, 2025) – Justin McNelkan scored 21 of his career-high 30 points in the first half, but it was not enough as the Fisk University Bulldogs fell to Arkansas Baptist College 69-63 in nonconference action from Nashville.

The loss was indeed a tough pill to swallow for Fisk.  McNelkan's electrifying performance was particularly a welcome sight for the Bulldogs, as this was his first game since the calendar turned to 2025. Head coach Jeremiah Crutcher sat four of his top five starters in the match up. In the first game between the two teams, ABU won convincing 78-51.

"At this point of the season, guys are nursing nagging injuries," said Crutcher. "I wanted to give some guys a chance to show that they are ready for the home stretch. A couple of them made a good impact. Though we lost, we had our chances."

Solomon Mustafa-Reid showed some fight, scoring ten points and grabbing ten rebounds. Carrington Allen added ten points and was tough on the defensive end. ABU went up by 12 with 15:27 left in regulation. Fisk crawled back in the game by going on a 16-2 run to tie the scored on a Mustafa-Reid put back with 8:14 left.

After ABU went up by four, McNelkan's crucial three-pointer, narrowed the gap to 61-60, igniting the belief that a comeback upset win was within reach. However, Arkansas Baptist's ability to execute an 8-2 run in the closing moments demonstrated their resilience and strategic prowess. Their late zone press forced two crucial Fisk turnovers down the stretch.

"I felt good tonight and the basket looked huge," said McNelkan. "Coach told me that I had the green light. We played hard and showed what we are made of. They are a good athletic team. We were biting knees out there and stayed in it."

Arkansas Baptist (69)
Nathaniel Braden 9-17 11-13 29, Jabez Sims 5-15 5-6 16, 1-4 0-0 2, Dylan Woods 1-3 0-0 2, Malik Kaba 0-0 1-2 1, Saffee Shepard 0-2 2-2 2, Deavon Bankxston 3-8 2-5 8, Terrance Steward 1-2 0-0 2, Jabari White 3-7 1-2 7, 0-3 0-0 0, Rodregus Patton 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 23-61 22-30 69

Fisk University (63)
Andre Bell 0-0 0-0 0, Justin McNelkan 9-19 5-6 30, Ta'San Coleman 2-8 0-0 4, Lucious Jackson 1-7 0-0 2, Carrington Allen 3-5 4-4 10, Kelvin Lusk 2-5 0-0 6, Solomon Mustafa-Reid 5-13 0-0 10, Jeremiah Armstead 0-2 0-0 0, Tyler Coley 0-1 0-0 0, Domonick Victor 0-3 1-2 1. Totals 22-63 10-12 63

FG%: Arkansas Baptist .377, Fisk University .349. 3-pt FG:Arkansas Baptist 1-18 (Braden 0-1, Sims 1-7, 0-2, Woods 0-1, Shepard 0-1, Bankxston 0-1, Steward 0-1, White 0-2, 0-2), Fisk University 9-32 (McNelkan 7-16, Coleman 0-3, Jackson 0-5, Allen 0-2, Lusk 2-5, Armstead 0-1). Rebounds: Arkansas Baptist 44 (Sims 11), Fisk University 41 (Mustafa-Reid 10). Fouls Arkansas Baptist 11, Fisk University 19. Fouled out: none. Technical: Sims. Assists: Arkansas Baptist 7 (Sims 3), Fisk University 16 (Coleman 6). Steals: Arkansas Baptist 10 (Braden 3, Sims 3, Bankxston 3), Fisk University 5 (Allen 2). Blocked shots: Arkansas Baptist 5 (Sims 2), Fisk University 2 (Coleman 1, Mustafa-Reid 1). Turnovers: Arkansas Baptist 9, Fisk University 13. Attendance: 371.