OLATHE, KS: The Texas Wesleyan University men's basketball team (3-0) rolled to a 74-47 win over Grand View University at MidAmerica Nazarene's (1-3) Jeff Uphaus Memorial Classic.
The Rams bombed away from distance early, dropping four three's on their way to a substantial 28-7 lead. The Vikings recovered to cut the lead down to 11, 34-23, but the Rams were in charge 38-25 at halftime.
The Rams picked up the efficiency in the second half, shooting 58% from the floor in the period. They did rein in the three-point shooting hitting 2-of-4 after nailing 7-of-15 in the opening period.
The Vikings cut the lead down to single digits at 42-33 three minutes into the second half, but
Seandre Sadler and
Jerrell Ellis righted the ship by scoring the next ten points. The lead swelled to as many as 30, 71-44, as the Rams cruised to the easy victory.
Texas Wesleyan shot 52.7% for the game while holding GVU to 32.7%. The Rams outrebounded the Vikings 40-31 and led 38-16 in points in the paint. The Texas Wesleyan bench also outscored the Grand View reserves 38-20.
Ellis led the charge off the bench with a game-high 24 points while Sadler added 10 more.
Sam Akano (12) and
Sean McLean (11) also reached double-figure scoring for the Rams.
The Vikings were led by Juan Hadnot's nine points.
Texas Wesleyan will continue action at the MNU Classic on Friday. They will take on Sterling College, who defeated MidAmerica Nazarene in Thursday's nightcap. Friday's game is scheduled for a 6:00 p.m. start.
Ramblings
- 3-0 matches Texas Wesleyan's best start since the 2010-11 squad went 11-0.
- Ellis entered the game with a Sooner Athletic Conference best six steals.
- This was the first meeting betwee Texas Wesleyan and Grand View. The Rams are 5-0 all-time against Sterling.
