RAMS CLAIM 2nd IN RRAC:

BEGIN RRAC TOURNEY ON THURSDAY
February 27, 2006

WAXAHACHIE, TX:  The 22nd ranked Texas Wesleyan University men’s basketball team (20-8, 16-4 RRAC) made the short trip down US-287 to take on Southwestern Assemblies of God University (14-16, 9-11) for their regular season finale.  The Rams claimed 2nd place in the conference with a 76-70 win.

The Rams and Lions, who finished 7th in the conference, will square off again on Thursday in SAGU’s Full Life Center in the first round of the Red River Athletic Conference Tournament.  Texas Wesleyan has played three games in Waxahachie this season, defeating College of the Ozarks, Kansas Wesleyan, and now SAGU.

In tonight’s game, the Rams got all they could handle from the Lions, before pulling away in the final two minutes of a contest that seethed playoff atmosphere.

In the first half, the Lions led by as many as seven (16-9), before a Ben Hunt three-pointer gave Texas Wesleyan its first lead, 25-24, with just over five minutes remaining.  The Rams stretched that lead to as many as nine, 35-26, but the Lions regained some momentum with a pair of tip-ins to close the half 35-30.

In the second half, the Lions scored six unanswered points to pull within two at 42-40 with 16 minutes to play.  From that point, the game saw nine ties and six lead changes, while neither team led by more than four until a Nino Etienne bucket put Texas Wesleyan on top 68-63 with 2:56 on the clock.

After an offensive foul on the Lions, Ben Hunt drained another three to give the Rams a comfortable 71-63 lead which they were able to turn into a 76-60 win.

Etienne led the Rams with 24 points and 12 rebounds.  Hunt finished with 19 while Scott Reasoner pitched in 16.  SAGU’s Darius Howard led the Lions with 18 points.

At 16-4 in conference play, the Rams will be the 2nd seed in the upcoming conference tournament which will be hosted by SAGU.  Texas Wesleyan fans can expect another hotly contested battle in the first round as their Rams will meet the hosting Lions at 6:00 p.m. in Waxahachie.