SHAWNEE, OK: The 12th ranked Texas Wesleyan University men's basketball team used an excellent shooting night to improve to 18-3 (8-2 SAC) on the season with a 100-79 win at St. Gregory's University (8-9, 4-6 SAC) on Saturday.
Texas Wesleyan shot 63% from the floor including a blazing 73% (19-26) in the second half. The Rams also shook off their recent free throw shooting woes, hitting 16-of-20 (80%) at the line.
After the Cavaliers took a quick 5-2 edge, the Rams ripped off a 20-2 run. Six different Rams got in on the scoring during the run that left the Rams with a healthy 22-7 advantage midway through the first half.
St. Gregory's managed to keep pace for the remainder of the first half and trailed 45-32 at the break. Texas Wesleyan's hot shooting squashed any hope of a comeback in the second half as the Rams hit 6-of-9 from long range and put up 55 points in the frame. The Rams led by as many as 22 points (95-73) on their way to the 100-79 victory.
Ryan Harris paced five Rams in double-figure scoring with 20 points.
Jeremy Crane and
Dion Rogers each posted 19 points, while
Trevon Jeffery and
Najeal Young notched matching lines of 16 points and 6 rebounds.
SGU's Jordan Rutherford led all scorers with 26 points, while Rodney Smith contributed 20 for the Cavs.
The Rams outshot the Cavaliers 63%-45% from the floor and 46%-33% from long range all while dominating the glass 39-22.
The Rams will return to the Sid Richardson Center on Thursday, when they host defending NAIA Division I National Champion Mid-America Christian University. That game is scheduled for an 8:00 p.m. start.
Ramblings
- The Rams now lead the all-time series with St. Gregory's 8-4 while they improved to 34-32 all-time in SAC play.
- Mid-America Christian erased a 17-point second-half deficit to claim a 91-90 win over the Rams in Oklahoma City earlier this season. MACU leads the all-time series 5-2.
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Naiel Smith continues to lead the NAIA with 166 assists, 8.3 assists per game, and 2.7 steals per game.
