PLAINVIEW, TX: The 12th ranked Texas Wesleyan University men's basketball team (15-3, 5-2 SAC) suffered a 79-77 loss on a Wayland Baptist University (13-6, 5-2 SAC) three-point shot with 3.8 seconds to play on Thursday.
After
Dion Rogers hit a pair of free throws to give the Rams a 77-76 edge with 10 seconds to play, Maurice Redmond hit a clutch three from the left corner. The shot came after the Pioneers were just able to inbound the ball ahead of a five-second violation. Texas Wesleyan then inbounded the ball to
Naiel Smith who went coast-to-coast but could not get a desperation layup to fall at the buzzer.
The disappointing finish came after Texas Wesleyan led for 36 minutes. The Rams came blazing out of the gate and quickly opened a 14-2 lead. The lead swelled to 18 at 26-8 on a
Najeal Young slam midway through the half.
The Pioneers finally came to life in the final two minutes of the first half. Redmond dropped in five points during a 7-2 run that closed the gap to 40-33 at the break.
Wayland took the lead two times in the second half, but the Rams had an answer each time and Texas Wesleyan led 75-68 with 2:03 to play. A layup and two free throws from JJ Culver quickly made it a one-possession game at 75-72. With Texas Wesleyan nursing a 75-74 edge, the Pioneers sent the Rams to the free throw line. After a pair of misses, Redmond hit two at the line to put WBU up 76-75 with 38 seconds to play and setup the final sequence.
For the game, the Rams outshot the Pioneers 43%-41% from the floor and 44%-29% from three-point range. WBU was +1 in the rebound column (42-41), while both teams committed 15 turnovers. The difference came at the free throw line where Wayland hit 13-of-16 (81.3%) and the Rams managed just 11-of-25 (54.5%).
Five Rams reached double-figures in scoring, led by
Jeremy Crane's 19.
Trevon Jeffery posted a double-double with 15 points and 12 rebounds.
Dion Rogers posted 15 points.
Ryan Harris came off the bench to contribute 12 points, and
Najeal Young finished with 10 points and 7 boards.
Wayland was led by Russell Harrison's 20 points and 12 rebounds. Redmond finished with 15 points.
The loss creates a three-way tie atop the SAC standings. Texas Wesleyan, Wayland Baptist, and Southwestern Assemblies of God all stand at 5-2. The Rams will return to action on Saturday, when they host 8th ranked Oklahoma City University. The Stars are a game back in the standings at 4-3 after a loss against St. Gregory's on Thursday. Saturday's contest is set for a 5:00 p.m. tip-off in the Sid Richardson Center.
Ramblings
- The loss was the first of 2017 for Texas Wesleyan and snapped an 8-game winning streak.
- After dishing out seven assists on Thursday,
Naiel Smith continues to lead the NAIA with 149 helpers and 8.76 assists per game. In both categories he holds a healthy lead on Wiley College's Cory Jones who has 123 assists and 6.83 per game.
- Texas Wesleyan has posted at least five players in double-figure scoring in five consecutive games.
- Wayland leads the all-time series with Texas Wesleyan 22-19 while the Rams fell to 31-32 all-time in SAC play. Oklahoma City leads the Rams 12-10 all-time.
- Thursday's contest marked
Trevon Jeffery's fourth consecutive double-double. He is now averaging 12.1 points and 10.7 rebounds per game in seven SAC contests.
