FORT WORTH, TX - Texas Wesleyan Men's Basketball (2-0) was tested but never trailed in a 82-72 victory over Jarvis Christian (0-2) Monday night at the Sid Richardson Center.

Akeem White led the way offensively with 22 points, four rebounds and an assist, hitting all six of his free throws along the way. Sam Lorenzen scored 15 points, Sebastian Karwoski contributed 11 points and six rebounds and Peyton Sallee scored 16 off the bench, including 4-of-6 treys beyond the arc.

The Rams kept and held control thanks to key three-pointers that helped TXWES back ahead by a comfortable margin. After the Rams 19-6 advantage was cut into by Jarvis, they found themselves tied with the Bulldogs at 27 with 4:50 to go before the half. Lorenzen drained a three after a Karwoski miss, three of the team's 14 second chance points. Karwoski hit the next basket - also from downtown - to put TXWES up six. After a couple of made free throws, David Shepard fired a three and less than a minute later, Sallee hit back-to-back-to-back looks, ballooning the lead to 45-30.

That barrage of threes helped the Rams shoot 10-of-24 from downtown in the contest. Texas Wesleyan was 21st in the country last season in three point percentage - 44.6 percent and are 29th through two games - 38.1 percent.

In the second half, when TXWES needed baskets, the squad got them. After the Bulldogs trimmed the deficit to four - 50-46 with 13:45 to play. Sallee hit his fourth three of the night to push the margin of error back up to seven. After Dylan Mumphrey free throws with 5:16 to play, keeping Jarvis Christian within seven, it was Lorenzen's turn to nail a three ball, giving the Rams a 71-61 lead.

Jarvis' Kobe Wrice scored 27 points and grabbed seven rebounds in the loss but JC's effeciency lacked in the loss. Wrice scored 27 points on 25 shots, Timothy Thompson scored 16 points on 17 shots and McShyne Wyatt added 12 points on 13 shots.

Texas Wesleyan hit 16-of-19 free throws - all in the second half - led by White's and LaMont Simmons' 6-for-6 efforts. For the second game in a row, the Rams bench outscored their opponents, Monday night by a solid 16 points, 29-13. Starting point guard Davon Berry has six assists to just two turnovers in his first 44 minutes on the court of the season.

Through two games, TXWES opponents are hitting a weak 16.3 percent of their threes, helping the Rams to the second-place three-point shooting defense in the NAIA.

After Monday night's games, the Sooner Athletic Conference as a whole is 21-1 against competition. The only loss has come from Oklahoma Panhandle State, which lost 82-67 to Southwest (N.M.), the squad that the Rams beat in the season opener at home.

The Rams will host Bethel (Kansas) Friday night at 7 p.m. and Our Lady of the Lake Saturday at 3 p.m. in the Texas Wesleyan Champions Classic at the Sid Richardson Center.