Box Score

HOUSTON, TX:  For the second straight year the Texas Wesleyan University men’s basketball team (6-2, 3-1 RRAC) stumbled in a December contest at the University of St. Thomas (6-4, 5-0).  This time the Celts knocked off the seventh ranked Rams by a score of 79-58.
 
After jumping out to an 8-2 lead, the Rams went cold from the field, going just 1-for-11 over the next eight minutes and quickly falling behind 24-13.  The Celts continued to bomb away, hitting at a 44% clip for the half and dropping seven three-pointers.  For the fifth consecutive game the Rams trailed at the half, this time by a daunting score of 49-21.
 
Shots began to fall for the Rams in the second half, but the damage had been done.  The Rams outshot the Celts 52%-40% in the second half, but could make up little ground.  UST led by as many as 32 points (61-29).  Texas Wesleyan cut the lead to 18 (75-57) with 2:39 to play, but the rally ended there.
 
For the game, UST outshot Texas Wesleyan 42%-38% from the floor, 36%-14% from long range, and 72%-58% at the free throw line.  UST turned 18 TWU turnovers into 30 points while the Rams scored just nine off of 13 Celt turnovers.
 
Eric Frederick led all scorers with 23 points.  Ronnie Moss added 12 points, and Oscar Griffin finished with 11.
 
The Celts had four players in double-figure scoring led by Jeremy Lewis’ 17 points.  Travis Lampley scored 14, Anthony Medina 12, and Andrew Graves 10.
 
Last season the Rams travelled to Houston on December 30, as the nation’s fourth ranked team and saw an 11-game winning streak come to an end with a 72-64 loss to the Celts.
 
Texas Wesleyan will return to action at the Big Easy Challenge December 29-30, in New Orleans, LA.  They will take on Westminster College at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday and Dillard University at 2:00 p.m. on Friday.