KANSAS CITY, MO:  The 10th ranked Texas Wesleyan University men's basketball team (24-8) suffered a heartbreaking 91-88 loss at the hands of 23rd ranked Campbellsville University (23-10) in the first round of the Buffalo Funds – NAIA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament Thursday morning.
 
The game saw 19 lead changes and 8 tie scores.  In the end, the Rams could not overcome 13 3-pointers from the Tigers.  Campbellsville outshot the Rams 56% - 49% from the field while hitting 13-of-32 (41%) long range attempts.
 
The Tigers started the game on fire, dropping in five 3-pointers in the first six minutes to jump ahead 22-14.  The deficit swelled to as many as 12 (26-14) after a bucket from Tyler Hagen.
 
The Rams stormed back and tied the game at 35-35 with a basket by Jerell Ellis.  After a defensive stop, Dion Rogers put the Rams on top 37-35.  The Rams stretched their lead to as many as seven (45-38), but the Tigers recovered and trailed by only one (47-46) at the midway point.
 
Texas Wesleyan shot 51% in the first half despite the slow start.  Ellis led the way with 17 points, but the Tigers shot 55% and hit 9-of-20 (45%) from beyond the arc.
 
The Rams got the better of the play early in the second half and took a comfortable 62-52 lead after a bucket from BJ Batts capped a quick 6-0 run.
 
Again, the Tigers chipped away.  Back-to-back three's from Rob Robinson completed a 15-6 run that put Campbellsvile back on top 68-67 with nine minutes to play.
 
The lead then changed hands seven times over the next three minutes.  A bucket from Trevon Jeffery put the Rams on top 80-75 with 3:27 to play, but Sekou Harris swung the game back to Campbellsville 85-83 when he converted a layup with 1:17 remaining.
 
Jerell Ellis answered with a big three, but Dii'jon Allen-Jordan pushed the score to 87-86.  On the ensuing possession, the Rams could not convert on a pair of chances.  The Tigers got the ball back with the lead and just 45 seconds to play.  The Rams fouled and the Tigers obliged by hitting just two of their next four free throws.
 
Texas Wesleyan inbounded the ball down 89-86 with 11 seconds to play, and Batts scored in the lane with 8 seconds to play.  The Rams fouled again, and this time Harris hit both free throws to give Campbellsville a 3-point edge.  A long inbounds pass was tipped away, but Chris Gracela came flying in to the rescue, grabbing the ball at the top of the key.  However, his desperation three did not go, and the Tigers came away with the 91-88 win.
 
"We just didn't make enough plays defensively today," commented head coach Brennen Shingleton.  "We had some breakdowns at the wrong time, and just didn't defend well enough to win a tournament game.  I'm proud of our seniors.  They did everything that we asked them to do all year long.  They fought and competed, and I couldn't be more proud of them."
 
Ellis finished with a game-high 23 points while Sam Akano came off the bench to score 21.  BJ Batts added 14 points, and Jeffery added 13.  Gracela finished with 5 points, 4 assists, and 10 rebounds.
 
The Rams grabbed 11 offensive rebounds and took 19 more shots than the Tigers, but we unable to overcome Campbellsville's long-range attack.  The Rams led 51-39 in points in the paint and 39-16 in bench scoring, but the Tigers outscored the Rams 39-18 beyond the arc.
 
Campbellsville was led by Harris' 18 points, while Robinson scored 16.
 
The loss ends what was a tremendous season for Texas Wesleyan.  The Rams put together a 12-game winning streak in January and February to win the program's first Sooner Athletic Conference regular season championship (since joining the league in 2012).  The team was rated in every NAIA Coaches' Poll and was ranked as high as 3rd in the nation.
 
Ramblings

---

 
- Texas Wesleyan was making its 14th appearance in the NAIA Tournament.  They are 13-13 all-time in tournament play.  This was their first ever meeting with Campbellsville.  The Tigers are making their 11th tournament appearance and hold an all-time record of 7-10.
 
- Sam Akano finished his two-year career with 1,109 career points to rank 16th on Texas Wesleyan's all-time scoring list.
 
- Jerell Ellis finished his two-year career with 1,084 career points to rank 17th on the school's all-time scoring list.
 
- Chris Gracela finished his two-year career with 522 points and 553 rebounds.  His 336 rebounds this season are the most this century.  The school's single season record belongs to Wayne Wayman who had 434 rebounds in 1976-77.