Box Score ALVA, Okla. --- Just two days after holding NCAA contender Baylor University to 64 points in an exhibition game, the Wayland Baptist Pioneers gave up 81 to Northwestern Oklahoma State University in an 81-65 loss. George Williams had 16 points and Curtis Stuckey came off the bench to score a career-high 15, but it wasn't enough as the Pioneers fell to 8-18 on the season.
The Wayland men dug themselves an early hole with their three biggest players on the bench in foul trouble. That allowed the #25 Rangers to jump out to a 35-21 halftime lead.
"At one point in the game we had Nate [6'4 freshman Nathan Harbour] as our only post, and Nate's not a post," said WBU head coach Robert Davenport. "We were playing zone defense and still got in foul trouble. If we cut down on the fouls, we're able to play even with them."
In fact, the Pioneers just about did play even with the Rangers in the second half, 46-44, helped in large part to a good performance at the free throw line, where they made good on 15-of-17 shots.
WBU hit four three-pointers in the contest, all in the second half. On the other end of the court, NWOSU went 7-for-15 from beyond the arch and shot 51 percent from the field for the game, including 59 percent in the final 20 minutes.
The Pioneer's second-leading scorer, Bobby Watkins, was held to only five points, playing only 19 minutes due to foul trouble. Stuckey, a freshman point guard, took up the slack offensively, hitting four baskets and performing flawlessly at the charity stripe, hitting all seven of his free throw attempts. He also had two steals.
The Rangers won the battle of the boards, 38-30, and scored 18 of their points off of 14 WBU turnovers.
Johnny Terra and Rodrigo Silva, who both played limited minutes because of fouls, pulled down four boards a piece for Wayland, and C'Jamarion Leashore dished out a team-high four assists and had three steals.
The Pioneers, 3-16 in SAC action, close out their final road trip of the season on Saturday at Oklahoma Christian University. OC defeated Lubbock Christian on Thursday evening, 62-59.
