OKLAHOMA CITY, OK:  Najeal Young poured in a season-high 31 points as the 9th ranked Texas Wesleyan University men's basketball team (19-4, 9-3 SAC) responded to Thursday's loss with an emphatic 79-54 win at 18th ranked Oklahoma City (16-6, 7-5 SAC) in the NAIA Network Game of the Week on Saturday.
 
Three of the Rams' four losses this season have been by three points or less.  The team's average margin of victory in the following game is 20.3 points.  Twice Oklahoma City has been the victim of such circumstance.  In their previous meeting the Rams were coming off a last-second defeat at Wayland Baptist and the Rams responded with a 98-76 victory.
 
On Saturday, the Rams recovered their shooting touch, hitting 52.6% from the field, 38.1% (8-21) from long range, and a solid 78.6% (11-14) at the free throw line.  Meanwhile Texas Wesleyan limited Oklahoma City to just 29.6% shooting.  The Rams also crushed the Stars 43-35 on the boards.
 
With the game tied at 26, a three from Dion Rogers sparked a run of 13 unanswered points that put the Rams in the driver's seat.  Texas Wesleyan went on to lead 44-35 at halftime.
 
The Rams were maintaining a 15-point advantage (63-48) with 8:45 to play when Najeal Young took over.  During a stretch of 4:19 seconds of game time, Young scored nine consecutive points to stretch the lead to 24 at 72-48.  The Rams went on to win by 25 (79-54), the largest margin of the night.
 
Young went 14-for-18 from the field, 1-for-1 from 3-point range (his first three of the season), and 2-for-3 at the line.  Dion Rogers added 19 points, 7 rebounds and 7 assists, while Ryan Harris contributed 10 points and 6 boards off the TXWES bench.
 
Brandon Patten led the Stars with 14 points.  The Rams held the reigning SAC Player of the Week, Lou Dunbar, to just six points on the night.
 
The Rams will return to action on Thursday, when they travel to Bethany, OK, to take on Southwestern Christian University.  That game is scheduled for an 8:00 p.m. start.  Texas Wesleyan will celebrate Homecoming on Saturday, February 11, as the Rams host the University of Science & Arts (OK) in a 5:00 p.m. tip-off.
 
Ramblings

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- Saturday's game levelled the all-time series between Texas Wesleyan and Oklahoma City at 12-12.  The Rams are now 35-33 all-time in SAC play.  Texas Wesleyan leads the all-time series with Southwestern Christian 7-2.
 
- Naiel Smith continues to lead the NAIA with 182 assists, 8.3 assists per game, 58 steals, and 2.64 steals per game.
 
- Najeal Young ranks 5th in the NAIA in field goal percentage at .596.  His previous season-high was 23 points against Texas College.