WAXAHACHIE - Khalil Turner scored 20 points and Montez Young Jr. added 18 as Texas Wesleyan University (2-0) pulled away in the second half for a 77-66 victory over Southern University at New Orleans (1-3) on Saturday at the Nelson Basketball Classic.

Turner hit three 3-pointers and went 6 of 8 at the free-throw line, while Young shot 8 of 14 from the field with seven rebounds for the Rams. Daeveon Scott chipped in 14 points on 6-of-12 shooting, including a pair of 3s, and Matt Nero came off the bench for nine points.

Texas Wesleyan dominated inside with 40 points in the paint and forced 20 turnovers from the Knights, turning them into 24 points.

Jamal Gibson led Southern-New Orleans with 14 points and nine rebounds. Dorian Booker and Caleb Williams each had 12 points, with Booker grabbing eight boards.

The Rams led 42-34 at halftime after building an early 27-4 advantage before the Knights rallied to tie it three times in the first half. Texas Wesleyan opened the second half on a 16-5 run, highlighted by back-to-back dunks from Scott and Daylan Hamilton, to push the lead to 50-39.

The margin reached 18 points at 67-49 on Anthony Sierras' fast-break layup midway through the half.

Southern-New Orleans closed to 69-61 on Gibson's layup with 5:43 left but went 1 of 7 from the field the rest of the way as the Rams sealed it at the line.

Texas Wesleyan shot 47% from the field (29 of 62) and went 12 of 29 from beyond the arc, while holding the Knights to 41% shooting (25 of 61). The Rams also had an 18-7 edge in fast-break points but were outscored 22-15 off the bench.

The Rams will next play Saturday on the road against No. 10 Oklahoma Wesleyan University at 2 p.m.