Complete Box Score

WAXAHACHIE, Texas-The men’s basketball team extended their season-opening winning streak to six games today with a 94-74 victory over Dallas Christian College. The two teams faced off at the Pepsi Classic hosted by Southwest Assemblies of God in Waxahachie.

After winning the tip, forward David Johnson streaked down the floor and caught a perfect alley-oop from Aaron Whaley and punched it down to give the Rams a lead they would hold for the remainder of the game. The rest of the Rams followed as they came out in their usual sniper fashion, knocking down several early jumpers.

Johnson remained close to perfect throughout the first half as he was successful on six of his seven shots for 13 points. He also corralled seven rebounds and managed two big blocks and a steal in only 14 minutes.

James Whitfield also shot extraordinarily well as he made four of seven attempts, including three out of five from beyond the arc. He went into the locker room with 11 points.

Kenny Johnson posted six points, four boards and two steals.

The Rams smothering full-court press, a half-court 2-3 zone combination on defense, kept the Dallas Christian offense ice-cold. They shot just 36.7 percent from the floor, led by Bryce Cole, who finished the first frame with 13 points on 62.5-percent shooting, and Bennie Miller, who grabbed four rebounds and posted nine points.

As a squad, the Rams knocked down 19 of 38 tries from the floor and hit five of 14 shots from the perimeter, taking a 48-34 lead into halftime.

The extreme shooting performances continued for both sides in the second half, as Wesleyan remained hot and Dallas Christian just couldn’t seem to find the basket.

In the final frame, David Johnson continued to dominate down low on both ends of the floor. He threw down several dunks on the offensive side, and his presence on the defensive end forced many of his opponents to change shots or have them rejected. The concrete shooting of Whaley and Whitfield led the Rams in the second half as they both shot very well from beyond the arc. Whitfield added 12 more points. Joey Gladney produced more energy and hustle for the Rams as he posted numbers across the stat sheet. The Rams hit 16 of their 40 tries from the floor.

Once again, Cole and Miller produced the only noteworthy Dallas Christian performances of the half. Cole shot over 50-percent from the three-point line, and Miller grabbed five more rebounds and recorded 11 more points. Dallas Christian struggled to shoot 40-percent for the half.

For the game, David Johnson and Whitfield led the team in offense with 23 points each. Johnson added 15 rebounds, five blocks and three steals. Whitfield connected on 45.4-percent of his attempts from the arc and eight of his 19 overall shots. Gladney hit five of his nine shots, including two out of four from the perimeter, and added five rebounds and a steal in his 19 minutes on the court. Kenny Johnson also posted 12 points, six rebounds, four assists, and three big steals. Whaley and Schilder recorded 11 points each as well. The Rams shot 44.9-percent on the night.

After the game, Brad Schilder and David Johnson were awarded with All-Pepsi Classic honors for their extraordinary play throughout the tournament.

The Rams are now 6-0 and travel to Lake Charles, Louisiana on Friday to face NCAA Division I-Southland Conference Champion McNeese State University. The next Rams’ home game is scheduled for Nov. 23 against Schreiner University at 7:30 p.m. in Sid Richardson Gymnasium.