Box Score

FORT WORTH, TX:  The Texas Wesleyan University men’s basketball team (15-4, 10-3 RRAC) suffered a 61-57 loss at the hands of LSU-Shreveport (13-6, 11-3) on Saturday.
 
The loss snapped a streak of 27 consecutive home wins, five shy of matching the school record.  The current win streak dated back to February 4, 2010.  The Rams are now 58-2 inside the Sid Richardson Center since January of 2008.
 
In spite of shooting just 39% from the field in the first half, the Rams managed to keep the game close throughout the opening round.  The Pilots shot 43% in the period and led 31-28 at the break.
 
In the second half, seven unanswered points pushed the Pilots lead to double-figures at 46-35.  The margin swelled to 13 at 50-37 midway through the period.  A pair of baskets from Oscar Griffin later sparked a 7-0 run for the Rams that brought the deficit to a manageable 52-48 with just under six minutes to play.
 
In the final minutes, Eric Frederick hit one-of-two at the free throw line to make it a one-possession game at 58-55.  The Rams then forced a turnover, but again went 1-for-2 at the line.  After a defensive stop, the Rams made just 1-of-2 on a third consecutive trip to the line.  That left the score at 58-57.  LSUS’s Derek Parker hit one-of-two free throws with 44 seconds to play and the Rams got the ball back with a chance to tie.
 
After a missed layup, the Rams got an offensive board with 16 seconds and a chance at the game’s final shot.  That shot did not come as Texas Wesleyan turned the ball over.  The Pilots made two free-throws with three ticks remaining on the clock to ice the contest at 61-57.
 
For the game, the Pilots outshot the Rams 39%-37% from the field.  The Rams hit 6-of-19 (32%) long range attempts.  The Rams won the battle-of-the-boards 40-37, but LSUS led 14-8 in second chance points after grabbing 13 offensive rebounds.
 
Four Rams reached double-figures in scoring led by Frederick’s 17 points.  Griffin and Ronnie Moss added 13 apiece.  Stephane Mudiay came off the bench for 10 points as well.
 
Parker led all scorers with 20 points to go with 10 rebounds.  Isiah Bazile finished with 11 points for the Pilots, and Aubin Young just missed a double-double with eight points and nine boards.
 
“I give all the credit in the world to LSUS,” commented head coach Terry Waldrop.  “We did not deserve to win this one and got beat by a team that played harder and earned it.  We have had a great deal of success in this building, but I did not have us prepared tonight to do the things that have led to that success.  Now the challenge for this team is to bounce back quickly for Monday night.”
 
The Rams jump right back into action on Monday, when they host Wiley College.  That game is scheduled for a 7:30 p.m. start in the Sid Richardson Center.