FORT WORTH, TX: The 8th ranked Texas Wesleyan University men's basketball team stretched its current winning streak to 10-games while locking down their 20th win of the season at the Sid Richardson Center on Thursday. The Rams (20-4, 11-2 SAC) defeated John Brown University (11-14, 4-9 SAC) by a score of 100-82.
The Rams rode red-hot shooting to the easy victory. Texas Wesleyan shot at a 60.7% clip from the field and 60.9% from long range. The Eagles also shot better from distance than from the field, hitting 48.4% from long range and just 44% overall.
The Rams hit each of their first six shots of the game and each of their first six triples. The Golden Eagles stayed in the game with a long-range attack of their own. John Brown hit 15 three's to Texas Wesleyan's 14, but the Eagles needed eight more attempts to make that happen.
The Rams led by as many as 16 (39-23) in the first half, but JBU cut the margin to eight (49-41) at the break.
Texas Wesleyan picked up the pace in the second half, shooting 64.3% in the period. Midway through the half,
Jerell Ellis nailed a three, got a steal, and hit
BJ Batts on the fast break. That 5-point flurry took just 15 seconds and pushed Texas Wesleyan's advantage to 21 points (74-53). John Brown was unable to mount a serious threat down the stretch, and the Rams cruised to the 100-82 win.
The Texas Wesleyan bench came up big by outscoring the JBU reserves 51-18.
BJ Batts (27 points) and
Sam Akano (19 points) combined for 46 of those points. The duo shot 71% (17-24) from the floor and 78% (7-9) from beyond the arc.
Ellis added 20 points, and
Henry Buckley finished with 13 points, 4 rebounds, and 7 blocked shots.
Chris Gracela posted his sixth double-double of the season with 10 points and 14 rebounds.
John Brown was led by Luke Moyer's 26 points. Ricky Roberts finished with 17, and Griffin Brady added 14 points.
The Rams will return to action on Saturday, when they host Bacone College. That game is scheduled for a 5:00 p.m. start in the Sid Richardson Center.
Ramblings
- This was Buckley's second game of the season with 7 blocks. With 54 blocked shots on the season he ranks fourth in the NAIA and is just one behind JBU's Nate Anderson for the SAC lead.
- 27 points matched
BJ Batts' season high. He also scored 27 at MidAmerica Nazarene.
- Thursday's win levelled the all-time series with John Brown at 3-3. The Rams lead the all-time series with Bacone 18-8.
