WILDCATS SHOCK TEXAS WESLEYAN
January 27, 2007

Box Score

FORT WORTH, TX:  A miserable night at the free throw line doomed 4th ranked Texas Wesleyan to their first conference loss of the season.  Wiley College (9-8, 4-4 RRAC) upset the Rams (12-4, 5-1) by a final score of 77-75 in the Sid Richardson Center on Saturday.

The Rams shot just 47% (9-19) from the free throw line.  They still manage to stay within striking distance, but were unable to make a run down the stretch.

The Wildcats came out swinging.  In the first ten minutes, they shot nearly 78% from the field and led 26-15.  Texas Wesleyan then went on a 24-6 run to take command at 39-32, but Wiley did not go away.  The Wildcats scored the final nine points of the half and led 41-39 at the break.

Midway through the second half, Texas Wesleyan led 55-48, but threes from Hector Garza and Terrell Jacobs highlighted a 13-0 run that gave the Wildcats a 61-55 advantage.  The Rams whittled the lead down to three, 75-72, with 1:26 to play.  The Wildcats hit just 2-of-6 free throws down the stretch, but Texas Wesleyan failed to score on four consecutive possessions.  Fred Eshon hit a three with 0.6 on the clock to account for the final score of 77-75.

The win was just the fifth for the Wildcats in eighteen games all-time against Texas Wesleyan.  The loss snapped a five-game winning streak for Texas Wesleyan who had not allowed an opponent to score more than 56 points in its last four contests.

Jacobs led Wiley with a game-high 24 points while Garza added 18.

Texas Wesleyan was led by Dane Dmitrovic’s career-high 16 points.  Evan Patterson added double-double with 13 points and 14 rebounds.  Nino Etienne finished with 15 points and Fred Eshon scored 13.