FORT WORTH, TX:  The Texas Wesleyan University women’s basketball team (9-7, 7-1 RRAC) got all they could handle from Southwestern Assemblies of God University (3-16, 1-9) on Monday.  However, the Lady Rams were able to hold on, thanks largely to a tremendous performance by senior guard Stephanie Reder, for a 61-58 win.

The Lions jumped out to a 10-2 lead and led by as many as 11 (19-8) in the first half, but 15 points from Reder on five three-pointers kept the Rams alive.  The two teams went to the locker room deadlocked at 30.

In the second half, Texas Wesleyan built a 12-point lead at 50-38, but the Lions would not go quietly.  The Lions used a 15-5 run to close the gap to two at 55-53 with just under five minutes to play.  In the final minute of play, Shawndrika Courntey and Reder each scored to give the Rams a 61-55 lead.  With 36 seconds to play, SAGU’s Lacey Box knocked down a trey to pull the Lions within three.

After a pair of missed free throws, the Lions still had life with 14 seconds remaining.  As time expired Evelyn Johnson hit a three, but she did not beat the buzzer, and Texas Wesleyan escaped with the 61-58 win.

On a night when the Lady Rams needed a big performance, Reder led all scorers with a career-high 25 points and set school records with 7 three pointers and 77.7% (7-9) long range shooting.

“She stepped up for us,” said head coach Stacy Francis.  “She’s been working on her shooting really hard, and it showed today.  Tiff [Hill] also had a solid game tonight, and we came out with a win.”

Hill finished with 8 points, 8 rebounds, and 8 assists.  Britney Helton added 14 points for the Rams.  Evelyn Johnson led all scorers with 26 points.

The Lady Rams return to action on Wednesday, when they host Texas College.  That game is scheduled to begin at 5:30 p.m. and will be followed by a men’s game.