Complete Box Score

FORT WORTH, Texas – In a game that started up-tempo and stayed that way for most of the remaining 40 minutes, neither team shot particularly well, but Texas Wesleyan hit them when they counted, and knocked off a good Texas College team on Monday night, 80-73. The Steers, who earlier this season handed #8 Houston Baptist their only conference loss, hung right with Wesleyan for most of the game, before a second-half burst of three-pointers pushed the Rams ahead to stay.

Texas College took the early lead, as Iyran Francis and Cedric Patterson connected to put the Steers up by four. Aaron Whaley then got the Rams on the board by burying his first three-pointer of the night, and David Johnson followed with a short jumper to give the Rams a 5-4 lead.

Both teams spread the offense around for the remainder of the first half, as 15 different players scored at least two points apiece. The lead went back and forth for several minutes, until Joey Gladney connected on consecutive buckets late in the half to give the Rams a 32-28 lead. Jason Horn hit a three-pointer for the Steers at the end of the half, though, as the teams went to the locker room separated by one point.

Charles Harmon opened the second half with a bucket for Texas College, marking the first time this season the Rams have trailed at home in the second half. The teams continued to fight for points, and the lead changed hands several times early in the second frame. Then, with 11 minutes on the clock, the Rams began a run that would push the lead out to eight points, capped by David Johnson’s long two-point jumper. The Steers’ coach was called for a technical foul for arguing about contact underneath on the play, and Whaley hit both free throws to extend Wesleyan’s lead to ten points.

Texas College came back with six quick points to cut into the lead, but Whaley hit two more three-pointers, and Marcus Johnson hit one as well, and the Rams took command of the game as the clocked rolled under five minutes. Despite missing a few late free throws, the Rams held on for the seven-point victory.

Harmon led Texas College with 22 points on nine of 19 shooting. He also pulled down 13 rebounds. Ben Davis scored 13 for the Steers, and Patterson, Francis, and Horn scored eight points apiece.

Marcus Johnson scored 22 for the Rams, and pulled down ten rebounds. His six steals left him four short of recording the Rams’ first triple-double of the season. He had two assists and two blocks. Joey Gladney, after lighting up Permian Basin for 26 points on Saturday, continued to impress with 12 points and 13 rebounds. Aaron Whaley connected on four of seven three-pointers to finish with 18, and James Whitfield scored 13. David Johnson had ten boards for Wesleyan, who out rebounded the Steers 47-46 on the night.

The Rams improve to 13-4 on the year, and are now 5-0 in Red River Conference play. They face Huston-Tillotson, the pre-season favorite to win the conference title, on Saturday in the Sid Richardson Gymnasium. Tip-off is at 7:30 PM.