Box Score

     FORT WORTH, Texas -Texas Wesleyan was outscored 8-0 in the last 1:56 as they fell to Bacone College, 74-70, Monday evening in Red River conference-play.

     Texas Wesleyan (4-5, 3-1 RRAC) took a 70-66 lead with 1:56 remaining on a layup by sophomore Nino Etienne. A quick foul on senior Tommy Johnson put Rodrick Traylor on the line where he canned two free-throws to cut the lead to, 70-68, with 1:42 remaining. Junior Khayri McKinney then turned the ball over and fouled Mike Olden who made 1-of-2 free-throws to cut the lead to one, with 1:28 remaining. Another turnover by the Rams and a layup by Bacone's Andy Mathurin gave Bacone a 71-70 lead with 55 seconds remaining. Junior Brad Schilder then missed two free-throws and the Warriors' Marco Malsevic canned a three-pointer with nine seconds left for the final margin.

     "We didn't deserve to win the game," head coach Terry Waldrop said. "They beat us in the hustle categories and it is hard to win when you lose those battles."

     Bacone College (9-3, 2-2 RRAC) opened on a 21-10 run led by five points each from Andy Mathurin and Malsevic.

     The Rams used a 21-13 run down the stretch in the first half to cut the Warrior lead to 34-31 at the break. Sophomore reserve CJ Higginbotham came off of the bench to lead Texas Wesleyan with seven points on 3-of-3 shooting, including one behind the arc in the first period.

     In the second half, Texas Wesleyan came out strong with a 15-6 run. The Rams received a trey from both, junior Ben Hunt and McKinney, and four points from senior Vince Williams to take a 46-40 lead with 12:50 remaining in the game.

     Both team fought back and forth for the next 10 minutes, as Bacone knotted the score twice during the span. That set the stage for the final two minutes.

     "Bacone definitely wanted the game more than we did," Waldrop said. "They killed on the boards and we didn't distance ourselves enough when we did get a lead."

     Texas Wesleyan shot 49 percent (25-51) from the field and only 59 percent (13-22) from the free-throw line. The Rams also shot 37 percent (7-19) from behind the arc.

     Bacone College shot 43 percent (25-58) from the floor and 72 percent (18-25) from the charity stripe. The Warriors also shot 35 percent (6-17) from the three-point line.

     Bacone College outrebounded the Rams, 41-29, which included 16 offensive rebounds.

     Etienne led the Rams with 16 points and eight rebounds, while McKinney added 15 points. Hunt chipped in with 13 points and five assists.

     Andy Mathurin led Bacone with 14 points, while Taylor finished with 12 points and a game-high 10 rebounds in only 12 minutes of action. Malesevic tallied 12 points.

     Texas Wesleyan will be back in action Wednesday when they travel to take on conference-rival Texas A&M-International. Tip-off is set for 3 p.m. in Laredo.