FORT WORTH, TX: The 20th ranked Texas Wesleyan University men's basketball team (6-0) remained undefeated after an 81-67 victory over the University of St. Thomas-Houston (0-4) at the Sid Richardson Center on Wednesday.
UST put up a fight in the first half before the Rams outran the Celts in the second half.
In the first half, the Rams led most of the way and opened an 8-point advantage (28-20) after a bucket from
Ryan Harris. However, the Celts shot 52% from the field and 44% (7-16) from long range and trailed by only two points (34-32) at the intermission.
Midway through the second half, Texas Wesleyan began to pull away. A
Dion Rogers jumper in the paint started a 9-1 run that pushed the score to 57-46 with just under ten minutes to play. The lead grew to as many as 15-points (77-62), and Texas Wesleyan cruised to the 81-67 win.
For the game, the Rams shot an even 50% (28-56) from the field including 10-of-20 three-point attempts. After the porous defense in the first half, Texas Wesleyan limited St. Thomas to just 34% in the second half and 31% (6-19) on the perimeter.
Both teams managed 32 rebounds (8 offensive and 24 defensive), however, the Rams led in several key categories. Texas Wesleyan led 32-18 in points in the paint, 28-6 in points off of turnovers, and 32-11 in bench scoring. Twenty-three UST turnovers led directly to 28 Texas Wesleyan points.
Rogers led all scorers with 24 points on the night. Harris and
Jeremy Crane combined to score all 32 bench points for the Rams. Harris finished with 14, while Crane went for 18 after hitting 4-of-7 three-point attempts.
Trevon Jeffery just missed a double-double with 15 points and nine rebounds, and
Naiel Smith contributed eight assists against only one turnover.
UST was led by Paris Marquez's 23 points.
The Rams will return to action on Monday, when they host Texas College. That game is scheduled for a 7:00 p.m. start in the Sid Richardson Center. Mark Warde and Cam Irvine will have the call on
RamSports.net/LIVE.
Ramblings
- Texas Wesleyan now leads the all-time series with St. Thomas-Houston 8-4. They are 29-4 all-time against Texas College.
- The Rams' 6-0 start is one better than last year's 5-0 start. The 2014-15 squad began the year with 12 consecutive wins.
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Naiel Smith currently ranks second in the NAIA with 38 assists (7.6/game) on the season.
