Box score

     ODESSA, Texas - The Texas Wesleyan men's basketball team continued to struggle on the defensive side of the ball, falling to UT-Permian Basin, 90-79, Monday evening at the Falcon Dome.

     UT-Permian Basin (8-22, 8-12 RRAC) opened up the game on an 8-2 run, keyed by six points from Rashard Pride. The Rams helped out by missing their first eight shots from the field.

     Texas Wesleyan (16-11, 12-7 RRAC) then went on a 10-0 run over the next two minutes, led by treys from senior Tommy Johnson and juniors Ben Hunt and Khayri McKinney to take a 12-8 lead at the 13:20 mark of the first half.

     The two teams traded baskets down the stretch in the opening frame, but Wesleyan took a 34-31 lead into the break. McKinney led the Rams with 11 first-half points, canning three shot from behind the arc, while Marlo Saunders led the Falcons with 11 points.

     In the second half, the Falcons came out hot, outscoring the Rams, 21-13, in the first six minutes to take a 52-47 lead with 14:04 remaining in the contest.

     UT-Permian Basin increased its lead to 84-67, at the 3:06 mark, using a 32-20 run over the 11-minute span. Pride again led the Falcons with 10 points during the run.

     Wesleyan sophomore Trey Watts came off of the bench to score 10 points down the stretch could never cut the lead under double digits the rest of the way.

     Johnson led the Rams with 19 points, while McKinney chipped in with 13 points and four assists.

     Both Marlo Saunders and Pride led the Falcons with 28 points each, while Art Garcia finished with 13 points, 11 assists and eight rebounds.

     Texas Wesleyan shot 41 percent (26-64) from the floor and 84 percent (16-19) from the charity stripe. The Rams also shot 32 percent (11-34) from the three-point line.

     UT-Permian Basin shot 53 percent (37-70) from the field and 75 percent (12-16) from the free-throw line. The Falcons also shot 25 percent (4-16) from behind the arc.

     Texas Wesleyan will be back in action Thursday when it hosts conference-rival TAMU-International. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. at the Sid Richardson Gymnasium. The Rams defeated the Dustdevils, 96-73, Dec. 15th, in Laredo. The Rams are currently tied for third place in the Red River Athletic Conference, tied with Texas College with three games remaining. Check www.redriverconference.com for complete standings.