RAMS TAKE FIRST STEP
March 16, 2006

KANSAS CITY, MO:  The Texas Wesleyan University men’s basketball team took the court at Municipal Auditorium this afternoon with its season on the line against 5th ranked Union University in the 69th Annual Buffalo Funds NAIA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship.  Rams fans were not disappointed as Texas Wesleyan was hitting on all cylinders, controlling the game throughout on their way to an 82-64 opening round win.

The Rams overcame some tournament jitters in the opening minutes, trailing 7-2, and raced ahead thanks to hot shooting from Khayri McKinney and Ben Hunt who put up 15 and 12 respectively in the first half.  Five minutes in, Scott Reasoner, Evan Patterson, and Hunt drained three triples to grab the lead at 16-13, and Texas Wesleyan never looked back.

Leading 28-24, the Rams rattled off eight unanswered points to push their lead to double-figures, and the margin continued to grow as they led 45-29 at the break.

Texas Wesleyan shot 50% from the floor including 6-12 from long range, while holding the Bulldogs to 36% in the first frame and dominated the glass 25-14.

In the second half, the Rams led by as many as 18 points 47-29.  Union made one push, cutting a 16-point deficit to single digits with seven straight points to bring the score to 57-48 with ten minutes to play.  Hunt responded with a three pointer and a jumper to give the Rams a more comfortable 63-48 edge.

Texas Wesleyan hit 13 of its final 14 free throws in the final three minutes and cruised to the 82-64 win.

“We have played a lot of tough teams to prepare for this tournament,” said Head Coach Terry Waldrop.  “They [Union] are a very talented team, but we felt like if we executed well, we would come out on top.  Ben [Hunt] and Khayri [McKinney] really stepped up and gave us a lot of energy, but the defensive team effort was the key today.”

The Rams shot 40% from the field and 43% from long range (9-21) and a lights out 89% (16-18) from the free throw line.  Meanwhile their defense held the Bulldogs to just 34% from the field including 3-21 shooting from beyond the arc.

Ben Hunt led all scorers with 27 points on 8-17 shooting including 5-10 from long range.  McKinney poured in 20 points and Patterson recorded his fifth double-double of the season with 14 points and 10 rebounds.