FORT WORTH, TX: It was a happy home opener for an enthusiastic crowd at the Sid Richardson Center on Thursday. The Texas Wesleyan University men's basketball team (3-0) posted an 88-70 victory over Paul Quinn College (1-2).
The Rams never trailed and led by as many as 19 on their way to their third victory of the season. The Rams scored the first seven points of the ballgame, but Paul Quinn tied the game at 11-11 and again at 13-13.
A three from
Doug Compton capped a 12-1 run that put the Rams in the driver's seat at 25-14. LaDarrius Brown cut the margin to single digits at 43-34, but
Sam Akano answered with a three and then a slam after a Paul Quinn miss early in the shot clock.
Akano poured in 19 points in the first half, while
Chris Gracela grabbed 9 rebounds, and the Rams led 48-36 at the break.
Paul Quinn mounted only one run in the second half. A 15-7 stretch brought the score to 69-61, but the Rams quickly stretched the margin back out. With 4:21 on the clock, the Rams inbounded the ball with a single tick on the shot clock, and Gracela drained a leaning desperation three to bring the score to 80-66.
For the game, the Rams shot 54% (34-63) from the field while holding Paul Quinn to 36% (22-61). The battle of the boards went to the Rams 45-35. The Rams also held hefty advantages in points in the paint (48-28), 2nd-chance points (22-13), fast break points (23-6), and bench points (30-8).
Akano led all scorers with 26 points, while
Jerell Ellis finished with 23 off the bench. Gracela just missed a triple-double with 13 points, 12 rebounds, and 8 assists. Compton and
Trevon Jeffery each posted 8 points as well.
The Tigers were led by Jalen Johnson's 22 points. Jesse Williams added 19 points and 11 rebounds.
The Rams will return to action on Monday, when they travel to Fort Myers, FL, for an exhibition contest at Flordia Gulf Coast University. That game is scheduled for a 7:00 p.m. start.
Ramblings
- Akano (23.7) and Ellis (23.3) are both averaging over 20 points per game.
- Gracela leads the Sooner Athletic Conference and ranks 5th nationally with 13 rebounds per game.
- The Rams lead the all-time series with Paul Quinn 25-7. They have never faced Florida Gulf Coast.
