Box Score
It seems as if the Wayland Baptist Pioneers have faced a ranked opponent every time they've taken the floor of late. If the Pioneers keep posting the same results, they're sure to regain their own national ranking very, very soon.
"The way the league competes with each other, it's almost like those rankings rotate through the teams," Wayland coach
Matt Garnett said following the Pioneers' 91-77 Sooner Athletic Conference victory over No. 22 St. Gregory's University on Thursday night in Hutcherson Center. "That's the beauty of our league. You have to be so very good in order to have a chance any given night, so it really takes your best effort."
The Pioneers (15-5, 6-4 Sooner Athletic Conference) certainly put forth a solid effort in taking down the team that beat them 10 days earlier in Shawnee, Okla., 102-99. The Cavaliers were ranked 11
th back then.
"They're a very good offensive team that has several weapons, so you really have to guard and focus on what you're doing," Garnett said.
It was the third time in four games and the fifth time in eight outings that Wayland played a team that is either ranked or receiving Top 25 votes. Of those five contests, the Pioneers have prevailed in four.
On Thursday,
Markus Monroe scored 23 points to lead Wayland, which in winning its third straight game after losing three in a row took the lead early and never looked back, although it took some time to gain some distance on the Cavaliers.
Having gone up by 13 points, 41-28, Wayland's lead shrunk to seven before another push put the Pioneers up by 15, 51-36. WBU held a 53-39 intermission edge, having shot 56 percent (20-of-36) from the field.
Once Wayland's lead reached 20 points some three minutes into the second half, the margin stayed between 17 and 22 points most of the rest of the way.
"Our guys started the second half well and re-established our energy," Garnett said. "St. Gregory's is such a talented team that you're never really comfortable. You have to stay in an attack mode."
Adding to Monroe's 23 points were
Barry Johnson with 17 and
Royal Crouch with 16, while
Plamen Hristov added a dozen.
Bunja Yaboe was a point shy of a double-double, tallying nine points and 10 rebounds.
Monroe, who had seven assists, six rebounds and four blocks, was a perfect 10-of-10 from the foul line as Wayland went 24-of-31 (77 percent) from the stripe.
"Those free throws show that while we missed some of our jumpers in the second half, we made sure we got to the free-throw line enough to compensate for that," Garnett said. The Pioneers made 17-of-23 free throws in the second half.
St. Greg's (16-5, 7-5) was led by Jaron Vierra with 21 points, Trey Jones with 15 and Tilford Thornton with 12. Marty Wilkerson, averaging almost 23 points a game to rank sixth in the NAIA coming in, was held to seven points. He got 31 in the Jan. 20 game.
"We were fortunate that Wilkerson missed some shots tonight," Garnett said of the junior guard who was 3-of-18 from the field, including 1-of-7 from 3-point range. "He's a very good player who you have to guard with your team. We tried to make it as tough on him as possible, but at the end of the day you have to hope he misses some shots."
St. Greg's attempted 84 shots compared to Wayland's 68, due in part to the Cavaliers' 22 offensive rebounds. Garnett was proud that the Cavs got only seven in the second half, including three near the end of the game.
"Sasha (Ovcharenko) really rebounded the second half," Garnett said of his junior forward who pulled down six of his seven boards after intermission. "A good way to get on the floor for us right now is if you'll rebound. That will be a key for us down the stretch."
Garnett also pointed to the Pioneers' 17 assists and 12 turnovers.
"Any time our assist numbers get up there in the teens, it's usually indicative of a good night for us," he said. "We're a team built for the ball to move, and when we do that we're a much better offensive team."
The Pioneers wrap up a four-game home stand beginning at 3 p.m. Saturday when they host John Brown University (12-8, 2-8). Due to an earlier game being postponed, Wayland and John Brown have yet to play this season. The Golden Eagles have lost their last five games, including an 83-74 decision at St. Gregory's on Tuesday.
"Year-in and year-out John Brown is as disciplined a team as you're going to see. (Coach) Clark Sheehy does a great job with them," Garnett said. "They've had to weather a lot of injuries, but they're finally healthy and finally have a full line-up back, for the most part. They're a very good team when they're healthy, and we're going to face that team on Saturday."
As the Pioneers reach the second half of SAC play, Garnett said teams' maturity will play a key factor.
"I think it will come down to teams that show great maturity and how they handle preparation and handle so many big games, both mentally and emotionally. That will be very important. We have to make sure we put our best foot forward in those areas every night. It's going to take constant improvement, but you can't improve unless you take care of those other two things first. We have to make sure we do that in our preparation, starting tomorrow."
Garnett asked Wayland fans to come through again on Saturday.
"I think our crowds really make the Hutch tough to play."
The Pioneers are unbeaten in 12 home games this season.
