RAMS WIN A NAILBITER
January 23, 2006

FORT WORTH, TX:  The Texas Wesleyan University men’s basketball team (9-6, 6-2 RRAC) took their fifth consecutive win on Monday when they knocked off Southwestern Assemblies of God University (10-9, 6-4) by a score of 68-64 in the Sid Richardson Center.

In the first half, the Rams shot a solid 48%, but SAGU shot an outstanding 55% from the field.  With 52 seconds on the clock, the Lions led 40-34, but a three-point play by Khayri McKinney and a lay-up from Brad Schilder in the final minute closed the gap to 40-39 at the half.

In the second half, the Lions opened their largest lead of the game at 54-45.  A pair of free throws and a three-pointer from Schilder cut the deficit to two at 52-50 with 13 minutes to play.  With 12:19 on the clock Albert Tally scored, drew a foul, and completed the three-point play to put the Rams back on top 53-52.

With just over five minutes remaining, SAGU’s Tim Geil hit a pair of free throws to give the Lions a 58-57 edge, but Ben Hunt responded by knocking down a trey to put the Rams on top 60-58.  With 3:54 on the clock, Peter Lawrence grabbed on offensive board and scored to bring the game to its tenth tie at 60-60. 

A pair of buckets from Nino Etienne and Evan Patterson gave the Rams a 64-61 lead, and an intentional foul from the Lions’ Jeremy Bowman sealed the win.  The Rams knocked down their final four free throws and SAGU’s Darius Howard hit a three at the buzzer to account for the 68-64 score.

Scott Reasoner’s 14 points led the Rams.  Nino Etienne finished with 13 while Brad Schilder and Khayri McKinney each scored 12.  The Lions’ Jeremy Bowman led all scorers with 15.

The Rams will return to the hardwood on Wednesday, when they host Texas College in the Sid Richardson Center.  That game is scheduled to begin at 7:30 p.m. and will be preceded by a women’s game.