Box Score
FORT WORTH, TX:  The Texas Wesleyan University men's basketball team (12-8, 6-5 SAC) used a very strong second half effort to surpass Oklahoma Baptist University (10-10, 4-6 SAC) 78-65 in the Sid Richardson Center on Thursday.
 
OBU got the better of the action in the first half, outshooting the Rams 59%-40% and dominating the glass 21-11.  The Bison led by as many as 12 on their way to a 37-29 edge at the break.
 
The Rams came out with a renewed energy in the second half.  In the period, Texas Wesleyan shot 53% while holding OBU to just 34.6%.  The Rams also led 23-14 in rebounding and held a 7-4 turnover margin.
 
The Rams stormed back to tie the game at 47 with a three-pointer from Deonte Jones, and they were just getting started.  A 14-2 run pushed the score to 61-49 midway through the half.  Cale Jackson hit a three for OBU before the Rams ripped off another big run.  This time it was a 15-4 stretch that gave the Rams their largest lead of the game, 76-56 with 3:25 to play.
 
Jackson answered with back-to-back three's, but it was much too late as the Rams breezed to the 78-65 win.
 
For the game, both teams shot 47% from the field, while the Bison held a slim 35-34 rebounding edge.  The difference came in the turnover column which favored the Rams 15-8.  That led to a 24-9 differential in points off of turnovers.  The Rams also ran the fast break to the tune of a 22-4 edge.
 
"I'm really proud of all of our guys," commented head coach Brennen Shingleton, "but extremely proud of Dallas [Jones] and Mario [Monroe] for accepting the challenge and playing hard for their team.  We have a lot of good basketball ahead of us, and no time to waste.  I'm glad we got a win in our league, which is very difficult."
 
Jorge Redmon came off the bench to score a game-high 20 points for the Rams.  Deonte Jones added 14 points.  Kenny Rhymes scored 12.  Kenny Rhymes finished with 11 points and seven rebounds, while Jervon Hooks posted seven points and 13 assists.  Mario Monroe turned in a solid line of eight points and five rebounds in just 10 minutes, all in the second half.
 
Jackson led the Bison with 20 points while knocking down 6-of-9 long range attempts.  Hayden Darst added 18 points and 13 rebounds in the loss.
 
The Rams will return to the hardwood on Saturday, when they travel to Oklahoma City, OK, to take on Mid America Christian University.  That game is scheduled for a 5:00 p.m. start.