Complete Box Score

FORT WORTH, Texas – The teams with the best and worst records in the Red River Conference so far this season matched up inside the Sid Richardson Gymnasium on Saturday night, and the outcome was about what you’d expect. Dominating from the start, the Rams put the game away early, then coasted to an 86-76 win.

The high-powered Ram offense kicked into gear right away, as Kenny Johnson hit from 15 feet and James Whitfield and Aaron Whaley nailed early three-pointers to give Wesleyan an 8-0 lead just two minutes into the first half. The rest of the squad jumped in soon thereafter, and after ten more minutes, the Rams built up a 32-9 advantage. The Falcons managed to keep the Rams in check for the remainder of the half, outscoring Wesleyan 20-14 over that time to bring the halftime score to 46-29.

After allowing the Falcons to close the gap slightly as the second half began, the Rams eventually found their groove again. Whitfield and Marcus Johnson led a three-minute scoring barrage that extended Wesleyan’s lead to 25 at 65-40 with 12:23 to play, forcing a UTPB timeout. After a Falcon bucket, Whaley fed David Johnson inside for a monster dunk, restoring the 25-point lead and drawing a standing ovation from the home crowd.

The Falcons chipped away at the lead for the next few minutes, but could mount no serious threat of getting back into the game. With three minutes remaining and an 81-62 lead, Wesleyan head coach Terry Waldrop subbed in his reserves, who allowed UTPB a 14-5 run, bringing the final score to 86-76 and making the game appear much closer than it really was.

Maurice Jackson led UTPB with 23 points and nine rebounds. He shot 60 percent (six of ten) from the floor and was 11 of 18 from the free throw line. Chauncy Ephraim scored 22 points, Cole Dickerson had 11, and Larry Buford finished with ten for the Falcons, who drop to 0-12 on the season, 0-4 in the Red River Conference.

Joey Gladney, coming off the bench, led Wesleyan with 26 points. He made nine of 14 attempts from the floor, including four of six from long-range. He also pulled down five rebounds. Marcus Johnson scored 17 and had six boards, Whitfield scored 15 and led the team with eight rebounds, and David Johnson scored 13 points and added four blocks.

The Rams improve to 12-4 on the year, and remain atop the Red River Conference at 4-0. They stay at home to face Texas College on Monday night. Game time is 7:30 PM.