SHAWNEE, OK: The 17th ranked Texas Wesleyan University men's basketball team (12-4, 2-4 SAC) suffered a 99-90 loss in Sooner Athletic Conference action at St. Gregory's University (8-6, 4-2 SAC) on Saturday.
The Cavaliers controlled the opening minutes of the game and built a 23-14 lead midway through the first half.
Jerrell Ellis later threw in five consecutive points to tie the game at 30-30. The lead then changed hands six times before St. Gregory's snagged a 46-42 lead at the intermission.
After a three from
Chris Gracela brought the Rams within two points at 64-62, St. Gregory's went on a 16-2 run that included a pair of three's from Marty Wilkerson and two more triples from Marquarius Boddie. Texas Wesleyan was able to cut the margin to seven points at 88-81 entering the final two minutes of regulation, but St. Gregory's held on for the 99-90 win.
Ellis led all scorers with season-high 33 points, but Wilkerson offset the performance with 31 of his own. Wilkerson entered the game as the SAC's leading scorer and ranked third nationally at 23.15 points per game.
Texas Wesleyan shot 45% from the floor, while SGU hit at a 47% clip. The Rams led 41-29 in rebounding. Turnovers and a tough shooting night from beyond the arc did not help the Rams' cause. Texas Wesleyan hit just 4-of-17 (23.5%) long range attempts and their 21 turnovers led to a 21-6 margin in points off of turnovers.
Sam Akano scored 14 points for the Rams.
Chris Gracela came off the bench to contribute a double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds.
Richard Shields posted 22 points and 12 rebounds for the Cavs, while Boddie and Stephen Walter each scored 12 points off the SGU bench.
The Rams will return to action on Monday, when they host Arlington Baptist College in a non-conference tilt. That game is scheduled for an 8:00 p.m. start in the Sid Richardson Center.
Ramblings
- The Rams are 10-22 all-time in SAC play, 4-4 against St. Gregory's , and 1-0 vs. Arlington Baptist.
- Ellis has scored in double-figures in all but one game this season and is averaging 18.3 points per game.
- Gracela is the team's leading rebounder at 8.1 per game and averaged 12 boards per game in two contests this week.
