FORT WORTH, TX: The No. 1 Texas Wesleyan University Men's Basketball team (1-1) was upended by a final score of 102-80 by No. 11 LSU-Shreveport (2-0) at the Sid Richardson Center on Monday.
The Pilots asserted themselves in the lane in the early going. Rakim Lubin went for 16 points and 6 rebounds in the first half while LSUS steadily built what turned into a 44-28 advantage at halftime.
In the second half, the Rams were whistled for eight fouls in the first 4:15. The Pilots took full advantage of the extremely early bonus, scoring 36 points at the free throw line where they shot 88% (36-41). Stevie Clark paced that effort by hitting each of his first 21 foul shots before finally missing his final attempt of the night.
The early foul trouble in the second half allowed LSUS to quickly build a 20-point lead at 60-40 with 15:45 to play. The lead dropped under 20 points only once in the remainder of the game as LSUS pulled no punches. A fast break three from Clark gave the Pilots their largest lead of the game at 100-66. LSUS did not pull their starters until Clark, who finished with a career-high 38 points, exited the game with 54 seconds to play.
The Rams outrebound the Pilots 51-41 and shot 39% from the field while LSUS hit at a 40% clip. The difference was clearly at the free throw line, where Shreveport scored 36 points and the Rams were just 18-of-24 (75%). Officials in the game called a combined 54 fouls including five technical fouls (three against the Rams) as frustration mounted.
Branden Jenkins led the Rams with 28 points on 10-of-22 shooting from the floor.
Jeremy Crane found his long range stroke in the second half when he scored 15 of his 20 points.
Curtiss Anderson finished with 4 points and 10 rebounds, while
Sam Smith came off the bench to contribute 10 points and 7 rebounds.
Clark was 21-of-22 at the free throw line on his way to a career-high 38 points. Rakim Lubin finished with 20 points and 9 rebounds. Former Ram, BJ Batts scored 8 points for LSUS.
The Rams will return to action Thursday, when they travel to Hawkins, TX, to take on Jarvis Christian College. That game is scheduled for a 7:00 p.m. start.
Ramblings
- The Rams lead the all-time series with LSUS 14-10. The Rams are 19-13 all-time against Jarvis Christian.
