Box Score GUNNISON, Colo. – Playing at the highest collegiate altitude gymnasium in the world, Wayland Baptist picked up its third road win in four days Saturday night as the Pioneers defeated Colorado Mesa University on the second day of the Comfort Inn Classic, 85-78.
Wayland (5-1) trailed by as many as 11 points, 17-6, as the NCAA Division II Mavericks came out on fire. But the Pioneers slowly worked their way back in the game, and by halftime held a 41-40 lead.
Mesa made the first bucket of the second half to go ahead, but that's the only time Wayland trailed the rest of the way. The Pioneers went up by as many as eight, 63-55, but the Mavericks fought back to tie it, the last time at 70-all.
Wayland went on a 7-0 run from there and never looked back. It was a 3-point game with just under two minutes to play when
Maurice Redmond scored off an assist by
Louis Timms with 41 seconds left.
Russell Harrison made the Mavs pay for a turnover when he scored on a fast-break layup with 11 seconds left that iced it. Mesa made a layup before WBU's
Marshall Nelson drilled a pair of free throws with four seconds left to account for the final score.
Redmond and Harrison, who was 7-of-7 from the field including 4-of-4 from the 3-point arc, led Wayland with 19 points apiece, while Timms ended with 15 points, 10 rebounds and four blocks for his fifth double-double in six games. Nelson tacked on 14 points.
Ruben Lopez's six assists led the team, while Redmond added five assists and four steals.
"Maurice played great defense, and Russell and Ruben contributed with big plays down the stretch," Wayland coach
Ty Harrelson said. "Marshall had a great tournament."
Mesa was paced by 22 points from CJ Davis. Tanner Riley added 12.
Wayland outrebounded Mesa, 44-35.
The Pioneers defeated Western State Colorado, 89-78, on the first day of the tournament Friday, two days after beating Northern New Mexico College for the second time this season in Espanola, N.M., 110-82.
"I'm proud of the team winning three games on the road. It's not easy to do that, especially getting quality wins," Harrelson said. "Our supporting cast is deep and getting better as we go. The team played together.
"Winning the Comfort Inn Classic against two (Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference) schools is a step in the right direction for us," Harrelson added. "It was a great tournament."
The Pioneers return home to host No. 14 Our Lady of the Lake at 6 p.m. Tuesday before heading back to Colorado for a Thanksgiving weekend tournament in Golden against Colorado School of Mines and Fort Lewis College. Those will be Wayland's final tune-ups prior to the start of Sooner Athletic Conference action Dec. 1 at Southwestern Christian.
