FORT WORTH, Texas - Senior David Johnson had 20 points, 11 rebounds and 10 blocks, for his first triple-double of the season, to lead Texas Wesleyan past Huston-Tillotson, 94-79, Monday evening at the Sid Richardson Gymnasium.

     "This was one of the most complete games we have played this season," head coach Terry Waldrop said. "We matched the intensity we had against UTA earlier in the season. We beat a very good team tonight."


Texas Wesleyan (7-5, 4-1 RRAC) opened on a 14-9 run to take a five-point lead at the 15:12 mark of the first half. The Rams received five points each from sophomore Brad Schilder and senior Wesley Haynes during the stretch.

     Huston-Tillotson (5-8, 4-1 RRAC) fought back with a 10-2 run to take a three-point lead with 12:25 remaining in the first half. Andre Jones led the charge with six points.

     Texas Wesleyan closed out the first half on a 32-18 run, keyed by eight points by freshman Aaron Smith. The Mansfield, Texas native, had two treys during the span.

     In the second half, Huston-Tillotson cut the lead to 10, on a bucket by Corey Sorrell at the 17:11 mark.

     Texas Wesleyan increased its lead to 17, with 12:37 remaining in the game, on the strength of six points by Johnson and four points by Schilder. Johnson also had two blocks during the span and Haynes added another.

     Two free throws by Haynes would push the Ram lead to 23, at 84-61, with 5:15 left in the game.
Haynes had six points and Schilder added four in the last five minutes to give Texas Wesleyan its third straight conference victory.

     Haynes finished with 21 points and a game-high 14 rebounds, while Schilder also totaled 21 points and had five assists. Junior Joey Gladney added 18 points and junior Anthony Martin dished out 14 assists.

     "We had a lot of guys contribute," Waldrop said. "We took advantage of our inside presence and controlled the game. We passed the ball well and took care of it in the second half."

     Texas Wesleyan shot 51 percent (37-72) from the floor and 25 percent (3-12) from behind the arc. The Rams also shot 71 percent (17-24) from the charity stripe.

     Huston-Tillotson was held to 39 percent shooting (29-74) from the field and 16 percent (3-19) from the three-point line. The Rams also shot 72 percent (18-25) from the free-throw line.

     "We consistently played good defense and did a good job of closing out on their shots," Waldrop said. "They are a well-coached team and it took a total team effort from our guys to beat them tonight."

     Texas Wesleyan returns to action Dec. 30, when they host Sterling College at 2 p.m. The game can be heard live at www.ramsports.net. Texas Wesleyan defeated the Knights, 81-76, on Nov. 22 in Kansas.