FORT WORTH, TX: After dominating the bulk of the contest, the Texas Wesleyan University men's basketball team (6-6) suffered a 94-91 defeat at the hands of Dillard University (8-6) at the Sid Richardson Center on Friday.
The Rams held the lead for nearly 30 minutes in this game and enjoyed a cushion as great as 16 points before Dillard staged a stunning comeback.
The early domination came thanks to an incredible Wesleyan debut from
Juwan Jones. Jones, a sophomore from Linden, NJ, put up 20 points in his first half of action and finished with 35 while getting within one three of the school's single-game record.
Behind that effort, the Rams led by as many as 13 points (50-37) on their way to a comfortable 50-38 margin at halftime.
The second half started well for the Rams and the lead swelled to 16 (63-47) when
Branden Jenkins threw down a fast break slam on a feed from
Rob Thomas.
The Bleu Devils did not begin to chip away until the final eight minutes of the game. Dillard whittled the margin down to eight (82-74) before a 6-0 run made things serious.
Jeremy Crane converted a three-point play, but back-to-back treys from Kristopher Allmon put Dillard on top 86-85 with 3:47 to play.
Dillard pushed ahead by as many as five (93-88). A three from Jones got the Rams within a bucket at 93-91 with six seconds remaining and the Rams sent Allmon to the free throw line. Allmon hit the first and then was whistled for a lane violation on his own shot on the second free throw. That left the door cracked, but the Rams were unable to get a look at the basket as time expired.
Jones was superb in his TXWES debut. Going 11-for-17 from the field, 8-of-10 from long range, and 5-of-7 at the free throw line. He needed just 31 minutes to put up 35 points while adding three assists, a steal and a rebound to the night.
Jenkins finished with 11 points after being saddled with early foul trouble.
Rob Thomas posted 13 points and
Jeremy Crane added 10 points for the Rams.
Joshua Simmons countered Jones' night with 22 points (17 in the second half) and 20 rebounds. Allmon also finished with 20 points for Dillard.
The Rams will return to action on Thursday, January 4, when they travel to McPherson, KS, to take on Central Christian College. That SAC contest is scheduled for an 8:00 p.m. start.
Ramblings
- The Rams lead the all-time series with Dillard 5-2.
- Central Christian is a newcomer to the Sooner Athletic Conference. The Rams and Tigers have never met in men's basketball.
- Jones' 35 points are the highest total by a Ram this season, surpassing
Branden Jenkins' 30 points against Wiley College.
- Texas Wesleyan's single-game record for made 3-pointers is nine, held by
Jeremy Crane (2016-17) and Robert Allen (2000-01).
