TULSA, Okla. - Freshman Natassia Brown had 19 points, five rebounds and four steals to lead Texas Wesleyan past Central Baptist, 81-67, Friday afternoon in the opening game of the Rhema Bible Classic.

     Texas Wesleyan (1-1) started off the first half hot, shooting 45 percent from the floor to take a 40-23 lead in at the half.

     In the second half, the Lady Rams went cold shooting only 36 percent form the floor and missing all five shots they attempted from behind the arc.

     "We started off great," head coach Stacy Francis said. "We got sluggish mid-way through the second half and let them back in to the game, but we held in there and pulled it out at the end."

     Brown shot 8-of-12 from the field and 3-of-5 from the charity stripe.

     "Natassia was very impressive today," Francis said. "It always great to see your young players step up and play well. She made a tremendous impact right out of the gate and was a physical presence in the paint."

     Also leading the way for the Lady Rams were junior Kashae Townsend who tallied 11 points and 12 rebounds and sophomore Shawndrika Courtney who totaled six points and four rebounds.

     Again Texas Wesleyan struggled at the line shooting 56 percent (19-of-34), which included a dismal 47 percent (9-of-19) in the first half.

     "We have got to start concentrating more on free throws," Francis said. "You aren't going to win many games shooting like that from the line. We are young and we must learn to fight through these things."

     The Lady Rams will be back in action Tuesday, November 18, when they host St. Gregory's at 5:30 p.m. at the Sid Richardson Gymnasium.