Box Score
After scoring 100-plus points and winning by an average of 49 points in its first two games, the Wayland Baptist men's basketball team was put to the test by a hard-nosed Sul Ross State team on Friday night in Hutcherson Center. The Pioneers pulled it out, however, defeating the Lobos, 81-74.
Wayland (3-0) jumped out to a huge 21-5 lead to start the game, but the Lobos called a timeout to regroup. Sul Ross, which was playing its season-opener, began to chip away at WBU's lead, and after a 3-pointer by Mychal Pinson, SRSU was down by just three points, 35-32, with four minutes left in the first half.
After Sul Ross' timeout the Lobos shot a blistering 14-of-18 from the field the remainder of the half, and the teams went into halftime tied, 41-41.
Wayland struck first in the second half with a layup by
Travis Payton, but back-to-back buckets by Sul Ross gave the Lobos their first lead of the game. The Pioneers and Lobos then duked it out over the next six minutes, changing leads seven times and tying the score on two other occasions. With 11:38 left to play,
Markus Monroe, who led the Pioneers with 21 points, made a jump shot to put Wayland up 57-55 lead, a lead the Pioneers did not surrender the remainder of the contest.
The Lobos fought hard, however, not letting the lead slip beyond six points. With 2:30 left to play and Wayland holding a 74-68 advantage, it seemed as if the Pioneers had the game in the bag, but Sul Ross cut the lead to one with a minute left to play.
Monroe made a layup with 34 seconds left to give WBU a little breathing room. The Lobos called a timeout before Monroe made another big play for Wayland, blocking Pinson's 3-point attempt from the top of the key.
Juhreece Thompson grabbed the ball and threw it down the court to a streaking Monroe, who put down a powerful jam to all but seal the game with nine seconds remaining.
The Pioneers made a big defensive stop, and after Thompson sank two free throws, Wayland walked away with a seven-point win.
WBU head coach
Matt Garnett knew that his team was fortunate to come away with a win against a talented SRSU team.
"I give a lot of credit to Sul Ross and some of the kids that they have on their team," he said. "I think their coach (Greg Wright) has done a great job and he finally has a healthy team this year."
Garnett also said that the game will help prepare the Pioneers for what they will see later this season.
"The good news from tonight is that we had to play in a tough game where every possession down the stretch is very important. Down the stretch we made enough plays and kept our composure enough to find a way to pull it out.
"It's good to win a close game. There are many games left in the schedule that will come down to the same type of situation that we had tonight."
Thompson went 8-of-11 from the field, making some incredible shots for Wayland and scoring 20 points. The big man also pulled in 11 rebounds, giving him a double-double. Garnett was very pleased with the way the senior played.
"I've been very impressed with Juhreece's offensive mentality. Everyone knows how talented he is and he's playing very aggressive, and that's great to see."
The Pioneers will return to Hutcherson Center on Nov. 21 to take on Northern New Mexico at 7 p.m.
