Complete Box Score

MARSHALL, Texas – The Wesleyan offense remains in high gear, scoring 98 points in back-to-back games for the first time this season as the Rams end the first half of conference play with big win over Wiley College.

The Rams dominated the action in the first half, shooting over 65 percent from the floor, and hitting three of seven three-point attempts. The Wildcats, by comparison, shot just 34 percent in the half, making only 4 of 15 attempts from beyond the arc. The Rams also buried 16 of 18 free throw attempts in the half to take a 49-36 advantage into the break.

Wiley played a much tougher second half, actually outscoring the Rams by one point but needing 12 more attempts from the floor to do so. The Wildcats made 18 of 40 (45 percent) field goals in the frame, compared to 16 of 28 (57 percent) by Wesleyan. The Rams also continued to shoot well from the line, hitting 15 of 21 attempts.

Derrick Smith led the Wildcats with 22 points on nine of 20 shooting, including two of eight from long range. Leonard Duffield connected on four of seven from three-point distance, and collected 15 points before fouling out of the contest. Silvester Simple scored ten for Wiley, and Donny Hoggs was the only player in double figures in the rebound column for either team. He finished with ten. As a team, the Wildcats shot just 40 percent from the floor in the game, 31 percent from long distance, and made 15 of 19 free throws.

For the second time this season, Joey Gladney led the team in scoring despite not starting the game. He finished with 25, on short of his season high, scored against UT-Permian Basin on January 11. He shot an amazing nine of 11 from the floor (82 percent), and made seven of ten free throws.

Marcus Johnson, Wesleyan’s leading scorer this season, also played a great game, recording 23 points, five rebounds, four assists, and three steals. Aaron Whaley and Brad Schilder each scored 14, and David Johnson scored 13 – including a perfect nine for nine from the free throw line. He also pulled down a team-high six rebounds, and added four more blocks to his season total. James Whitfield scored seven, and added five boards and three steals. Kenny Johnson was the only other Ram to score in the game. He had two points.

The win pushes Wesleyan’s record to 16-6 overall, and 8-2 in Red River Conference play.

The Rams have now played every team in the conference once, and after a day off tomorrow, will return to the Sid Richardson Gymnasium on Saturday night to face Southwestern Assemblies of God University. Wesleyan won the first meeting of the season 82-65 on December 12 in Waxahachie. Tip-off for Saturday’s rematch is at 7:30 PM.