WBU struggles to score vs. No. 20 SAGU

Box Score On a day in which one Wayland Baptist player's scoring exploits were celebrated, the Pioneers didn't reciprocate in a showdown for first place in the Sooner Athletic Conference.
 
Maurice Redmond became the 40^th member of the Pioneers' 1,000-point club, but Wayland Baptist wound up on the wrong end of a 66-60 decision to No. 20 Southwestern Assemblies of God University on Saturday afternoon in Hutcherson Center.
 
Wayland (13-7, 5-3 SAC) scored only two points in the final almost four minutes to allow the Lions (16-4, 6-2) to get out of town with the win and at least temporary sole control of first place in the conference standings.
 
It was the Pioneers' first home loss of the season after seven victories and snapped a 13-game home winning streak dating back to last season. It also marked the fewest points scored by the Pioneers in Coach Ty Harrelson's two seasons. The last time a WBU team scored fewer points was in a 56-53 loss to St. Gregory's to end the 2012-13 season.
 
Wayland got off to a slow start for the second straight game, scoring just six point in the game's first 12-plus minutes. The Lions were struggling, too, as they led it just 15-6 when Wayland finally got its offense working.
 
The Pioneers outscored SAGU 15-5 to take their first lead, 21-20. The game went back and forth the rest of the first half, which ended deadlocked at 30.
 
After the Lions opened the second half with a 3-pointer, Wayland scored the next 10 in a row to take a 40-33 lead. SAGU bounced right back, however, and went on a 13-2 spurt to go up by four points.
 
Wayland never led again. The Pioneers did tie it at 48 after back-to-back 3-pointers by Joshua Throns, but SAGU answered with seven straight.
 
The Pioneers closed to within two, 60-58 with 3:52 left, but SAGU put up five unanswered. Neither team scored from about the 3-minute mark until Wayland's J.J. Culver hit two free throws with 26 seconds left. SAGU couldn't put it away at the free-throw line, but Wayland couldn't take advantage as the Pioneers failed to convert on their final two possessions.
 
Culver, a freshman, finished with a season-high 18 points while Redmond got 17, giving him exactly 1,000. The senior made a 3-pointer with 3:52 left that made him a century club member, but that was Wayland's last field goal of the game.
 
The Pioneers, who were shooting just 11 percent through the first 10 minutes or so of the first half, ended shooting 35 percent (20-of-57) from the field, including 8-of-28 (29 percent) from long range. SAGU was only marginally better at 38 percent (22-of-58) overall, but the Lions did outrebound Wayland, 46-33, including grabbing eight more offensive rebounds.
 
Wayland was outscored 16-0 on second-chance points.
 
The Pioneers take off on a four-game road swing, first stopping in Shawnee, Okla., to take on St. Gregory's (7-7, 3-4). The Cavaliers played at John Brown on Saturday night.