FORT WORTH, TX - For the second-straight game, the No. 22-ranked Texas Wesleyan Rams (11-3, 3-1 SAC) held an opponent to just 50 points, humbling the No. 9-ranked Wayland Baptist Pioneers with a 47-point, 97-50, rout.
It was the worst loss for Wayland since losing by 44 points to Oklahoma Baptist 100-56 on January 17, 2009. It was the worst offensive performance by the Pioneers since a different loss to Oklahoma Baptist, 69-48, on February 7, 2013. But it wasn't just the negatives for Wayland that stood out in the ball game.
The 13 made threes by the Rams was the most this season, shooting 59 percent from deep, best in a game (minimum 20 attempts) since November 5, 2018 (12-of-20, 60 percent). It's the first time TXWES have held back-to-back opponents to 50 points or less since game-by-game final scores are readily available, dating back to the 2003-04 season.
The defense was absolutely suffocating from start to finish. Even up 46 points during a late timeout, Head Coach Brennan Shingleton was imploring his squad to not give up any more points. The offense kept its streak alive - now seven consecutive games with 90 points or more put up on the scoreboard. The Rams led 40-22 at the half.
Peyton Sallee finally found his mojo on the offensive side of the floor down the stretch. With 10:44 remaining, Sallee took a shot a few feet off the three-point line and drained it to put Texas Wesleyan ahead 68-35 and if WBU thought it was having a bad time before that shot, it got worse for the Pioneers after. Sallee hit his next four threes and finished with a game-high and season-high 26 points. He was 4-for-16 from downtown in his last four games and finished 5-of-6 from deep Saturday. He also had two blocks and two steals, a defensive catalyst who was primarily responsible for guarding J.J. Culver, who scored 100 points against Southwest Adventist over the holiday break. Culver was held to eight points on 11 shots in 35 minutes on the court.
Sam Lorenzen scored 17 points,
Joe Cook-Green added 18 points and a team high nine rebounds off the bench and
Davon Berry chipped in 13 points in the victory. TXWES shot 71 percent (22-of-31) from the floor in the second half. TXWES has now beaten Wayland Baptist at the Sid Richardson Center in four of the last five meetings.
The Rams will visit Oklahoma City Thursday January 9 before coming back home to face Southwestern Christian Saturday January 11 at 4 p.m. The Stars improved to 2-2 in the Sooner Athletic Conference over the weekend with a 83-79 victory over Central Christian. Mid-America Christian is now the lone SAC team to survive the weekend unscathed.
