FAB FOUR!
March 18, 2006

KANSAS CITY, MO:  The Texas Wesleyan University men’s basketball team pulled off a thrilling 73-70 win over #4 Carroll College in Elite Eight action at the 69th annual Buffalo Funds NAIA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship on Saturday.

To put the tremendous accomplishment of the 2005-06 Rams into perspective, the last time Texas Wesleyan made a quarterfinal appearance in the NAIA National Championship, Pearl Harbor had not yet been attacked.  The school made back-to-back appearances in 1940 and 1941, but has had to wait 65 years for its third shot in the Elite Eight; they had never reached the Fab Four.

Carroll entered the game with a record of 30-3 and a #4 national ranking.  They were also leading the nation with nearly 10.5 three-point baskets per game.

The Saints had their way in the first half, shooting 50% from the field including 10-of-20 from long range.  However, Brad Schilder kept the Rams’ hopes alive with 12 points in the period, and Texas Wesleyan trailed 41-35 at the break.

In the second half, the Rams made an adjustment defensively and allowed just three more treys in the remainder of the game.

Seven minutes into the half, the Rams continued to trail 51-44.  Over the next nine minutes, Evan Patterson put the team on his back.  With 13:06 on the clock, he converted a three-point play to cut the deficit to four.  With 9:18 remaining, Patterson went to work in the paint and again recorded a three-point play to bring the Rams within a point at 53-52.

Patterson gave Texas Wesleyan leads of 56-55 and 60-59 with two more buckets.  In all he scored 14 points during a 16-8 Texas Wesleyan run.

After Carroll’s Ross Gustafson knocked down a pair at the line, consecutive three’s from Scott Reasoner and Khayri McKinney put the Rams on top 66-61.  The Rams continued to lead by five with three seconds to go, when Dallas Leslie drained a three to put Carroll within reach at 72-70.  Scott Reasoner then went to the line and hit one-of-two with two seconds remaining.  That proved to be too little time, as Carroll could not get a shot off and the Rams punched their ticket to their first ever Fab Four with a 73-70 win.

After the game head coach Terry Waldrop said, “they are the best shooting team that we have played all year.  Both teams were very tired, and we just gutted it out.  Carroll is an extremely talented and well-coached team, but the emotion in the locker room right now sums up this game and this team.  We gave it everything we had.”

Carroll hit 13 three-pointers compared to just five for the Rams, but Texas Wesleyan found their saving grace at the free-throw line.  The Rams scored 22 points at the line, and, while the Saints were perfect at the line, Texas Wesleyan allowed Carroll just nine free-throw attempts.

Patterson led the Rams with 22 points, while Ben Hunt scored 12.  Reasoner chipped in seven points and 10 rebounds.  With his 15 points points, Schilder climbed from 12th to 9th on Texas Wesleyan’s all-time scoring list with 1,217 career points.

The Rams advance to Monday’s Fab Four where they will take on the winner of tonight’s game between Olivet Nazarene and Oklahoma Baptist at 8:00 p.m. in Municipal Auditorium.