Box Score

WAXAHACHIE, TX:  The thirteenth ranked Texas Wesleyan University men’s basketball team (19-4, 14-3 RRAC) took a thrilling 61-58 win in a great college basketball atmosphere at Southwestern Assemblies of God University (17-6, 11-6) Thursday night.
 
Things nearly got out of hand from the get-go, to the delight of a raucous SAGU student section.  Just 54 seconds into the contest, Oscar Griffin grabbed a defensive rebound and hit Ronnie Moss with a deep outlet pass.  Moss was on his way up for an uncontested dunk when SAGU’s Craig Grigsby caught him from behind with a hard foul to the side of the head.  Moss took exception to the foul and the players had to be separated.  Grigsby was called for a flagrant one.  Moss was ejected for a flagrant two which is deemed fighting, and SAGU’s Jared Gibson and Adam Martinez were also ejected for leaving the bench.
 
After that, the score was tied seven times.  The lead changed hands four times, and neither team enjoyed a lead larger than five points.  That five-point margin was held by SAGU at 18-13 with 10:49 to play.  However, the Rams answered with two free throws from Jazz Holman, a dunk from Chris Angsomwine, and a layup from Brian Talley to put the Rams back on top 19-18.  The Rams closed the half with an offensive tip-in from Stephane Mudiay to lead 27-25 at the break.  However, as the final buzzer sounded, offsetting technical fouls were called against TWU’s Ryan Glanzer and SAGU’s Caleb Feemster as the two scrapped for a loose ball.  Offsetting Class B technical were also called against both coaches after the final horn.
 
The second half saw four more ties and four more lead changes.  Texas Wesleyan took the largest lead of the game at 45-38 with 8:10 to play, but the Lions quickly pulled within three at 47-44.  Tyler Sears briefly silenced the crowd with a big three-pointer, but Grigsby answered with a triple of his own to push the score to 50-47.
 
Entering the final two minutes, SAGU’s Dominique Rambo followed an offensive miss with a dunk.  The ball appeared to be on the rim, but the basket was counted to bring the score to 58-56 Wesleyan.  With 43 seconds to play, Angsomwine scored a layup, was fouled, but could not convert the three-point play and the Rams led 60-56.  On SAGU’s next possession Nathaniel Ward produced a thunderous dunk on another offensive follow to make it a two-point game (60-58).  The Lions fouled with 18 seconds to play, and Brian Talley was good for one-of-two at the line.  Just before the final horn, a three from Rambo was off the mark, and the Rams came away with a 61-58 victory.
 
For the game, the Rams held the Lions to 32% shooting from the floor (including 17%, 4-23, from long range), while hitting 41% on their offensive end.  Texas Wesleyan held a narrow 45-42 rebounding advantage, but 21 offensive rebounds led to a 15-11 SAGU advantage in second chance points.  The Lions also led 13-6 in fast break points, but Texas Wesleyan’s bench came up with 20 points compared to just 11 for the SAGU reserves.  The Lions were unable to help themselves at the free throw line, hitting just 52% (10-19), while the Rams shot 71% (10-14) at the stripe.
 
“This is one of the best environments in the conference,” commented head coach Terry Waldrop.  “I thought this was a great game that tested the resiliency of our character to have the things happen that happened and have the tenacity and will power to win against a good team on the road.  It could be a defining moment for our guys.”
 
Eric Frederick led all scorers with 21 points to go with 11 rebounds for his 11th double-double of the season.  Griffin added 13 points to the victory.
 
SAGU was led by Grigsby’s 17 points, while Ward finished with 12.
 
The Rams will return to action on Saturday, when they travel to Dallas, TX, to take on Paul Quinn College.  That game is scheduled for a 7:30 p.m. start.