FORT WORTH - In a roller coaster 2018-2019 season, Texas Wesleyan Men's Basketball (14-16, 9-13 SAC) was ready for one more ride. After a Peyton Sallee missed free throw (after making the previous two) with 0.5 seconds left could have won the game, Sallee hit four straight in overtime and the Rams pulled out an incredible 82-77 overtime win over Oklahoma Panhandle State (15-13, 10-12 SAC) on Senior Day.

Down 71-69 in the final seconds, Rob Thomas drove down the lane and was closed off and fell, just getting the ball away from his body before the stumble. The ball found the hands of Peyton Sallee, who was fouled on a three-point attempt. The previously mentioned drama ensued. Up 76-75 in overtime after the Rams forced an Aggie turnover, Sallee was fouled and calmly sunk two free throws. After a miss on the other end by OPSU, Sallee iced the game with another pair. The freshman led the team in scoring despite a slow start with 18 points and five rebounds but was just a part of a valiant effort to send the seniors home with a victory.

THE SENIORS
The scoring started on a senior-to-senior connection. Coach Brennen Shingleton's voice echoed in the Sid Richardson Center, 'Diing go!' as Thomas lobbed it up to Diing Lwal Diing for a slam. Diing and fellow seniors Eric Johnson and Sam Smith got the starts.

Rob Thomas created another highlight just at the end of the first half. Off an inbounds pass, Thomas took a few dribbles and fired a half-court heave at the buzzer that went in without little fight. That capped a 7-2 run to end a very low-scoring half, 30-25. Thomas finished with 15 points, six rebounds, five assists and four steals. He played 43 of the game's 45 minutes.

Dare Brazeal also saw a huge chunk of time - 38 minutes - and scored eight points, hauled in six rebounds and dished out five assists.

THE INSIDE GAME
Oklahoma Panhandle State limited the Rams to just six threes, the lowest output for the nation's eighth-best three-point shooting team since January 26. No problem - Texas Wesleyan took their game inside. Cook-Green slashed all game and pulled up for a number of mid-range jumpers that helped him reach 16 points and eight rebounds. Justin Flakes (five points) slashed and Brazeal battled inside. Emmanuel Egenti even had a pretty left hand mini-hook on the left baseline that tied the game at 57 with 7:26 to play. Egenti turned in a valuable 14 minutes off the bench for five points and three rebounds, including two on the offensive end.

The Rams out-did the Aggies in the paint, 28-18.

THE CLOSE CALLS
14 of the Rams' last 16 games were decided by nine points or less. The two games that weren't were blowouts in favor of the Rams but all the nailbiters this season had their own twist. Despite the team's two leading scorers down the stretch due to injury, Texas Wesleyan was so close to a tournament berth with a give off the rim or a bounce of a ball. Texas Wesleyan did stop a three-game skid in overtime games Saturday, rekindling the magic they had in the 2016-2017 semifinal victory over William Penn before winning the 2017 NAIA National Championship.

NEXT YEAR
The Rams will reload, with Julian Torres, Juwan Jones, Peyton Sallee, Sam Lorenzen and Joe Cook-Green all slated to return, among other faces who will sure show major improvement in the off-season. Every season and team is different but if the slate is anywhere near as exciting as 2018-2019's, Rams fans are in for an entertaining next year.