FORT WORTH, TX: Without the aid of three regulars in the lineup, the 17th ranked Texas Wesleyan University men's basketball team (13-5) racked up 110 points in a 110-89 win over Arlington Baptist College (6-10) in the Sid Richardson Center on Monday.
Sam Akano,
Jerrell Ellis, and
Chris Gracela picked up the slack for the shorthanded Rams.
A dunk from
Mario Monroe capped an 11-2 run to start the game for Texas Wesleyan. A scrappy Arlington Baptist squad continually answered Texas Wesleyan's offensive runs. The lead swelled to as many as 15 points in the first half (46-31), but the Patriots battled back to cut it to five before Gracela beat the halftime buzzer with a three that pushed the score to 60-52.
The game remained close in the early moments of the second half, but Ellis threw in nine points during a 16-2 run that finally put the Patriots away at 92-74 midway through the period. The Rams went on to lead by as many as 22 (101-79) on their way to the 110-89 win.
Akano and Ellis both finished with 33 points in the win, while Gracela notched a triple-double with 11 points, 12 rebounds, and 10 assists. Gracela also stole the ball twice and did not commit a turnover.
"I thought our energy and approach were good tonight," commented head coach
Brennen Shingleton. "This Arlington Baptist team has played quality competition. They shot three's and a ton of them, and that can be an equalizer in any game. We managed to play hard even though we were tremendously shorthanded. I'm glad we got a win and look forward to building off of this."
For the game, the Rams outshot the Patriots 51%-41% from the floor. Texas Wesleyan also hit at 48% (13-27) from long range, while ABC managed 35% (14-40). The Rams led 48-36 on the boards, 31-10 in fast break points and 50-20 in points in the paint.
The Rams will return to action on Thursday, when they dive back into Sooner Athletic Conference play. They will travel to Oklahoma City, OK, to take on Mid-America Christian University. That game is scheduled for an 8:00 p.m. start.
Ramblings
- Texas Wesleyan is 2-0 all-time vs. Arlington Baptist and 0-2 vs. Mid-America Christian.
- Gracela's triple-double was the first by a Texas Wesleyan player since Nino Etienne tallied 16 points, 10 rebounds, and 12 assists against Bacone College on February 24, 2007.
- 33 points are the most scored by a Texas Wesleyan player this season. Ellis has accomplished that feat in back-to-back games.
