Box Score
Wayland Baptist overcame a seven-point halftime deficit to defeat University of the Southwest on Thursday night in Hutcherson Center, 102-67.
The Pioneers (2-0) outscored the Mustangs (0-3), 67-25, in the second half. Wayland came out on fire after intermission, going on an amazing 47-9 run during the first 11½ minutes of the second period.
To start the second half, Pioneer big man
Kelly Lawson made two quick layups before
Markus Monroe and
Barry Johnson hit back-to-back 3-pointers to put Wayland ahead for good, 47-44.
From there the Pioneers continued to pour it on, scoring 14 unanswered points before Monroe helped WBU take full control of the momentum with a powerful dunk on a fast break. The jam energized got the full attention of The Hutch crowd of close to 850.
"When you play the type of game that we work really hard to play, that becomes a lot of fun," said Pioneers head coach
Matt Garnett. "Our momentum really hit in the second half and the crowd helped a lot with that. They were the sixth man tonight."
In a tale of two halves, Garnett said the difference for his team was its approach to both sides of the court in the second half.
"The first half wasn't an issue of playing hard," Garnett explained. "We got lots of deflections and steals, but we took too many reckless chances, so it was kind of fool's gold. We were not disciplined enough on either side.
"At halftime we really focused on our shot selection and making sure we valued each possession. We also got back to our defensive rules in the second half, making sure we were getting down and guarding the ball, and played disciplined on both ends of the court."
The more structured Pioneers proved to be too powerful for USW, which could do nothing but watch its slim lead disappear. The Mustangs shot 38% from the field in the first half, but were able to knock down 7-of-15 three pointers.
After tightening up its defense, Wayland held Southwest to just 11 field goals – and only two 3-pointers – after halftime, which in turn helped the WBU offense become more efficient. The Pioneers shot 60 percent (27-of-45) from the field and scored 36 points in the paint following intermission.
Garnett praised his senior point guard,
Travis Payton, for helping lead the Pioneers to a more disciplined, successful second half.
"Travis really got down and defended for us," Garnett said. "He did a good job on the ball and that got us started defensively. The returning all-conference player showed up in the second half and put our team on his shoulders and led us.
"Another thing that helped us (in the second half) was that no one tried to take over the game to get us back in it. We kept the ball moving and were able to find some good rhythm, basketball plays.
Even though it took a half for his squad to get going, Garnett was pleased with what he saw in his squad's second outing of the season.
"I'm proud of the way the team responded," he said. "Every game this year will be a test of unity and growth for our team.
They responded tonight by pulling together, and that is the mark of a team that has a chance."
Monroe had 22 points and
Barry Johnson 20 to lead WBU. Lawson and
Juhreece Thompson dropped in 15 points apiece.
Wayland held a 51-26 rebounding edge, including 30-11 in the second half. Thompson ended one rebound shy of a double-double with nine boards, while Lawson and
Royal Crouch pulled down eight each. Crouch also had four blocks and three steals, rounding out a solid defensive performance.
Clarence Rivas led USW with 20 points, followed by Josh Ramirez with 10. The Mustangs shot 36 percent (22-of-60) from the field. After hitting 7-of-15 3-pointers and 13-of-14 free throws in the first half, the Mustangs struggled to make just 2-of-12 from long range and 1-of-3 from the foul stripe after intermission.
With the Pioneers' win Thursday and their 117-54 win over Barclay on Oct. 29, it marks the first time since the 2002-03 season that Wayland has scored 100-plus points in back-to-back games.
Wayland continues its season-opening four-game home stand on Friday, Nov. 15 when the Pioneers host Sul Ross State at 7 p.m. before hosting Northern New Mexico on Nov. 21.
