Box Score Two points were all that kept all five Wayland Baptist starters from scoring in double-figures when the Pioneers tallied an 84-72 Sooner Athletic Conference win over Southwestern Christian on Saturday afternoon in Hutcherson Center.
Wayland (21-4, 10-4 SAC) scored 17 straight points – much of it the result of red-hot 3-point shooting – to erase a 12-point deficit and take the lead for good midway through the first half.
"Southwestern Christian showed in the first half they can really shoot the ball," Wayland coach
Matt Garnett said. "We knew coming in that we would have to be able to adjust and figure out how to make them miss. I thought our guys stayed calm early when (Southwestern Christian) hit their shots and got up."
The Pioneers eventually led by as many as 21 points, 71-50, before the Eagles (6-16, 2-12) closed the final gap to a dozen.
Robert Waters went for 18 points,
Royal Crouch 16,
Ta'Quan McDew 15 and
Plamen Hristov 11 for the Pioneers (21-4, 10-4). WBU's other starter,
Bunja Yaboe, contributed eight points along with seven rebounds and four blocks, while
Kendall Durant came off the bench to score 10.
 "Any time we're up in the higher teens in assists (WBU had 17, with McDew getting six) usually means the ball is moving well, and I thought there were good stretches when we did that and shot it accordingly," Garnett said.
Jacob Lancaster rejected five of Wayland's 10 blocks, with Yaboe getting four.
"I thought Jacob and Bunja were very active defensively when the ball got into the paint," Garnett said. "That's a big point of emphasis for us."
The Pioneers drained 11-of-19 (58 percent) 3-pointers – including 7-of-9 in the first half – while shooting 56 percent (33-of-59) from the field. Hristov and McDew had three 3-pointers each.
Two of McDew's bombs, along with one from Durant, came during the game-changing 17-0 first-half run when Wayland went from a 22-13 hole to a 30-22 lead. McDew's second trey put Wayland ahead for good, 24-22, with 10:20 left in the half.
"I was pleased with our ability to respond," Garnett said.
The Eagles launched 34 3s, hitting 15 for 44 percent.
"They've got such good shooters at a lot of different spots on the floor and guys who can break you down off the dribble, so you have to really be good in your help rotation," Garnett said. "They make you really defend as a defensive unit, and I thought our guys were able to adjust accordingly."
Vladimir Nemcok and Ben Collier combined for eight treys and paced Southwestern Christian offensively with 15 points each. Tyler Turner hit three more 3s and had 11 points.
"I thought Kendall contributed well offensively, but he also had some really key defensive assignments today and did a good job on the defensive end," Garnett said.
Wayland was called for just eight fouls, resulting in Southwestern Christian attempting only three free throws. The Pioneers, who likely hit only 7-of-13 from the foul stripe, committed just eight turnovers.
Wayland returns to the road next week to take on John Brown (15-11, 7-7), an 83-77 winner over Texas Wesleyan on Saturday, in Siloam Springs, Ark., on Thursday night then St. Gregory's (12-10, 8-6) in Shawnee, Okla., on Saturday afternoon.
"I'm pleased with the way the week went," said Garnett, whose club blasted No. 23 Oklahoma City, 98-71, on Thursday. "I'm really looking forward to Monday because I believe these weeks are dependent on your ability to get better during the week. We most definitely are going to have to get better in some areas."
The Pioneers end the regular-season with home games against Oklahoma Baptist on Feb. 26 and No. 16 Mid-America Christian, the conference leader just ahead of Wayland, on Feb. 28.
"Very few teams have the willpower and the mental toughness to continue to improve late in February," Garnett said, "and we believe that will be the key to playing well on Thursday."
