SALT LAKE CITY, UT: The Texas Wesleyan University men's basketball team (6-2) was edged out 77-74 against Westminster College (4-0) at the Westminster Classic on Saturday.
Westminster came out hot and took the largest lead of the game at 22-10 midway through the first half. A three from
Chris Gracela got the Rams off the matt. Ten unanswered points later got the Rams within one at 26-25. In the final minute of the period,
Jerell Ellis tied the game at 30-30 with a triple. The Rams then drew a charge from Westminster's Kenny Woodard. With seven seconds to play,
Dion Rogers hit the final bucket of the half, and the Rams led 32-30 at the break.
Gracela started the second half with a 3-pointer, but a 3-point barrage from Westminster was the story of the second half. The Griffins drained seven of their 10 three's in the period.
Westminster pushed back ahead 56-45 after a three from Woodard at the midway point, and again the Rams had to battle back. A 12-1 run put the Rams on top at 70-69 with 2:47 to play.
Dion Rogers then made it 73-72 with a jumper entering the final minute.
A pair of free throws from Payton Zerrion put the Griffins back on top (74-73). Westminster hit three of their next four at the line to take a 4-point advantage while the Rams could not answer offensively. In the final seconds, the Griffins fouled and Ellis went to the line for two. Ellis hit the first and missed the second.
Henry Buckley grabbed the offensive board, but time expired before the Rams could take a shot at the tie.
For the game, the Griffins outshot the Rams 49%-40% from the field. Texas Wesleyan led 38-32 on the boards and forced 16 Westminster turnovers while committing only 11. The Griffins gained separation with their 3-point attack and by getting to the free throw line. Westminster hit 10-of-23 (44%) from beyond the arc and 23-of-31 (74%) at the free throw line. Their 23 made-free throws outnumbered the Rams' 19 attempts from the charity stripe.
Dion Rogers and
Trevon Jeffery came off the bench to lead the Rams in scoring with 21 and 19 points respectively.
Sam Akano was the only starter to eclipse double-figures. Akano finished with 11 points.
Chris Gracela added 8 points and 8 rebounds.
Woodard led five Griffins in double-figure scoring with 25 points. Woodard hit 4 three's and went 9-for-10 at the free throw line.
The Rams will open Sooner Athletic Conference play on Saturday, when they host defending SAC Regular Season Champion Mid-America Christian University. That game is scheduled for a 5:00 p.m. start in the Sid Richardson Center.
Ramblings
- The Rams are now 1-1 all-time vs. Westminster.
- Texas Wesleyan is 0-4 all-time against MACU. They are 12-26 all-time in Sooner Athletic Conference play.
- 10 three-pointers and 23 made free throw are the most allowed by the Rams this season.
- Six Rams are currently averaging double-figures in scoring led by
Sam Akano's 19.5. Gracela continues to average a double-double with 10.4 points and 10.1 rebounds per game.
