FORT WORTH, Texas - Senior Wesley Haynes had 22 points and seven rebounds to lead Texas Wesleyan past SW Assemblies of God, 77-69, Saturday evening at the Sid Richardson Gymnasium.

     Texas Wesleyan (6-5, 3-1 RRAC) shot 50 percent (27-54) from the field and held the Lions to 32 percent (22-69) shooting.

    "I thought our defensive effort was, for the most part, good, as we held them to only 32 percent shooting from the field," head coach Terry Waldrop said. "Our turnovers have plagued us all year and once again this was the case Saturday evening. It allowed Southwestern to stay in the game and they played with a lot of heart and intensity."

     The Rams opened the game on a 17-10 run, keyed by eight points from Haynes. The Hammond, La., native, also had two assists during that streak.

     Haynes' dunk at the 4:36 mark of the first half increased the Ram lead to 11, at 31-20. Texas Wesleyan received two treys from freshman Aaron Smith and another from junior Joey Gladney over the span.

     "Wesley continues to improve each and every game he plays," Waldrop said. "He has been a huge factor in the last four or five game for us."

     SAGU (4-10, 2-2 RRAC) responded with a 13-4 run to cut the Ram lead to 35-33, with 1:18 left in the first half. Doug Freer tallied five points during the run.

     Four free-throws down the stretch in the first half gave the Rams a six-point lead at halftime, 39-33.

     In the second half, Texas Wesleyan increased its lead to 11, at the 17:20 mark of the second half. A trey by Gladney and two layups by junior Anthony Martin keyed the run.

     A steal and fast-break dunk by Haynes gave the Rams their largest lead, 70-54, with 5:36 left in the first half.

     SAGU fought back going on a 15-4 run, to cut the lead to five at the 2:20 mark. Freer tallied 12 points during the three minute stetch, which included two treys.

     Texas Wesleyan shutout the Lions over the last two minutes. A lay-up by junior Drew Busby and a free-throw by Glandey closed out the game for the Rams.

     Junior Joey Gladney added 20 points and eight rebounds, while junior Anthony Martin chipped in with 11 assists and seven points. Senior David Johnson tallied eight points, eight rebounds and a team-high five blocks.

     "Gladney played exceptionally well against Southwestern," Waldrop said. "He and Wesley were huge factors that resulted in the victory tonight."

     Texas Wesleyan shot 33 percent (6-18) from behind the arc and 57 percent (17-30) from the charity stripe.

     SAGU shot 28 percent (9-32) from the three-point line and 89 percent (16-18) from the free-throw line.

     "If we are going to compete for a post-season berth we must continue to improve," Waldrop said. "We still have to consider that we have only two seniors on the squad, so this team is far from a veteran group, and our best basketball, hopefully, will be in February and March."

     Texas Wesleyan returns to action Monday when they host conference-foe Huston-Tillotson at 7:30 p.m. The game can be heard live at www.ramsports.net.

     "I do know against Hutson-Tillotson we will need a drastically improved effort in order to have a chance to be successful," Waldrop said. "We feel that our players will rise to the occasion on Monday night."