DALLAS, Texas - Aaron Whaley’s three-pointer with 8:31 remaining gave the Rams a 14-point lead, but a combination of turnovers and poor free throw shooting down the stretch allowed Paul Quinn back into the game. With 1:16 left, the Tigers took their first lead since the opening minutes of the first half, and the Rams couldn’t answer, losing 76-74.

Both teams began the contest at full-throttle, hustling up and down the court with each possession. Nobody managed to actually score, though, until Charles Taylor connected on a three-pointer for Paul Quinn with 18:55 on the clock. David Johnson answered with a pair of buckets underneath, though, and Marcus Johnson connected as well to give the Rams a three-point lead after three minutes of play.

The Tigers would come back to take a five point lead - their largest of the night - at the 15:09 mark after Michael Crozier’s jumper sparked an 8-0 run for Paul Quinn. Again, though, Marcus and David Johnson combined to bring the Rams back, but this time Joey Gladney would also chip in, as his lay-up with 14:13 on the clock gave Wesleyan a 15-13 lead.

Marcus Johnson then fueled an 18-9 Wesleyan run with 10 points of his own, and the Rams jumped out to a nine-point advantage. They added another point to that in the remaining minutes, and took a 38-28 lead into halftime.

The teams traded buckets for the first few minutes of the second frame, before three-pointers by Whaley and Marcus Johnson extended Wesleyan’s lead to 14 at 14:37. Just over six minutes later, Whaley’s third three of the night again put the Rams ahead by 14, but Paul Quinn would respond.

Moments later, Charles Taylor countered with a three of his own. Then, after Gladney hit a jumper to push the lead back to 66-53, the Tigers went on a 13-0 run, tying the score at 66 with 4:02 remaining. Brad Schilder hit a free throw and James Whitfield buried a short jumper to get the Rams back in front, but again the Tigers answered, knotting the score at 69 with 1:35 on the clock.

A few ticks later, the Tigers would take their first lead of the second half when Michael Crozier scored on a drive to the basket, drew a foul, and converted the free throw. With 1:16 left, Paul Quinn was up by three. James Whitfield was fouled on the Rams’ next possession and hit both free throws to cut the lead to one, but that just set the stage for the unlikeliest of game-clinching shots.

With just 29 seconds remaining and the Tigers in possession, the Wesleyan defense clamped down and seemed to fluster whichever Tiger held the ball. As the shot clock wound down, Bryan Sanders, a 6’-8” center who hadn‘t shown much range thus far in the game, threw up a fade-away, NBA-length three-pointer with two Ram defenders in his face. It was perhaps the most ill-advised shot any player took during the entire game, but it found nothing but net to give the Tigers a 75-71 lead.

After a Tiger free throw, Marcus Johnson connected on a three-pointer to give the Rams a glimmer of hope, but Schilder’s full-court desperation heave at the buzzer was off line.

Soloman Sheard led Paul Quinn with 24 points and eight rebounds. He connected on nine of 18 shots from the field in the game, and hit six of eight free throws. Charles Taylor scored 16, Bryan Sanders had 12, and Jeremy Haynes had 10 for the Tigers.

Marcus Johnson led all players with 30 points, hitting eight of 18, and three of six from long-range. He also had five rebounds and three steals on the night. David Johnson finished with 12 for Wesleyan, and recorded seven rebounds and five blocks, and Joey Gladney finished with 11 points and a game-high nine rebounds.

The Rams fall to 17-7 on the season, 9-3 in the Red River Conference. They do not play again until Saturday night, when they face Jarvis Christian College in the Sid Richardson Gymnasium. Tip-off is at 7:30 PM.