FORT WORTH, TX: The 20th ranked Texas Wesleyan University Men's Basketball team (20-8, 13-5 SAC) took a thrilling 79-76 Sooner Athletic Conference victory at John Brown University (15-12, 9-9 SAC) on Saturday. With the win, the Rams claim a share of the lead in the SAC standings with two regular season games to play.
The Rams moved into a tie atop the conference standings at 13-5 with No. 12 Oklahoma City who was idle on Saturday. The Rams and Stars will close the regular season when they meet in Oklahoma City next Saturday.
Against John Brown, the Rams overcame a 35-point effort from Josh Bowling by showing off a three-headed monster in
Branden Jenkins (22 points),
Juwan Jones (21 points), and
Ryan Harris (19 points).
Texas Wesleyan shot a cool 52% (30-58) from the floor, but Bowling and the Eagles kept the game tight throughout.
The Rams led throughout the first half, but their largest margin was just eight points at 17-9. John Brown snared a 50-49 lead with a bucket from Darrell Jones, and from there the game saw five more lead changes.
Texas Wesleyan led 75-72, but Bowling dropped in five consecutive points to put the Eagles on top with 29 seconds to play.
Branden Jenkins found his way to the free throw line on the next possession and knocked down two clutch free throws, putting the Rams back on top 77-76.
The Rams forced an Eagle turnover with 12 seconds to play, and
Ryan Harris was good for two more at the free throw line. Bowling got a look at a potential game-tying three at the buzzer, but his attempt was no good and Texas Wesleyan claimed the 79-76 victory.
For the game, the Rams outshot the Eagles 52%-41% from the field.
While Jenkins, Jones, and Harris accounted for 62 points,
Rob Thomas facilitated that offense with a line of five points, five boards, and six assists.
The Rams will play their final regular season home game on Thursday, when they host Central Christian College. That game is scheduled for an 8:00 p.m. start and will be preceded by Senior Day festivities.
Ramblings
- Texas Wesleyan leads the all-time series with John Brown 8-3, while they improved to 52-40 all-time in SAC play.
- The SAC is still far from decided with two games remaining. Two-time defending regular season champion Texas Wesleyan and Oklahoma City are tied for the lead while SAGU is just a game back and Wayland Baptist is two games back.
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Branden Jenkins ranks sixth in the NAIA in scoring with 21.9 points per game.
