Box Score
Maurice Redmond scored 24 points to lead six Pioneers in double figures as Wayland Baptist defeated Southwestern Christian, ranked the equivalent of 28
th in the NAIA, in Sooner Athletic Conference play Thursday night in Hutcherson Center, 93-85.
"That's a good team we beat tonight," said Wayland coach
Ty Harrelson, whose squad built as much as a 25-point lead before fending off an Eagles comeback.
The win, which snapped a two-game skid for WBU, no doubt was one of the most satisfying of the season for the Pioneers (17-12, 9-8), who were playing with a depleted line-up as they try to build momentum for next week's conference tournament.
"I'm really proud of our guys. We've had a little bit of adversity here at the end of the season, and coming off back-to-back losses," Harrelson said. "The guys who played tonight represented our school and our program very well, and I'm very proud to coach them."
Wayland played lights out as the Pioneers built a 25-point lead midway through the second half.
"We executed plays and made shots," Harrelson said.
The Eagles (18-11, 10-7) wouldn't throw in the towel, though, and with 15 unanswered points cut it to 82-72 with 3½ minutes still left.
It got as close as six points with a minute to go on a 3-pointer by SCU's Jamal Ray, who led all scorers with 37 points. But Wayland got things back under control thanks to four clutch free throws by Redmond and two by
Austin Mansour in the closing 34 seconds.
"I thought our guys kept their composure," Harrelson said.
Ruben Lopez, who had four 3-pointerse, and
J.J. Culver scored a dozen points apiece in support of Redmond, while Joshua Throns and
Julian Pesava got 11 each off the bench. Mansour put in 10 and
Tyrone Davis nine.
Wayland's bench outscored the Eagles' subs, 26-0.
"Some guys who haven't been playing very much got some minutes and they performed when they were in," Harrelson said. "That's what you prepare for. We have a really good group of young kids playing at Wayland right now."
Redmond also led Wayland with eight rebounds while Lopez recorded nine assists and four steals.
"Mo, Ruben and Tyrone all did a good job of leading, and I was very proud of how they performed as well," Harrelson said. "Ruben got nine assists, which I think is a season-high for our team this year. He created some shots for his teammates and guys were able to finish.
"Mo played like a first-team all-conference player, which I think he is. He's the only senior on our team right now."
Besides Ray's 37, SCU got 24 from Joshua Simmons and 10 from Shawn Scott.
The Pioneers shot 50 percent from the field (31-of-62) and 45 percent (13-of-29) from long range, plus 18-of-24 (75 percent) from the free-throw line.
Wayland wraps up the regular-season by hosting Science and Arts of Oklahoma (16-12, 11-6) at 3 p.m. Saturday. The Drovers, who defeated Bacone on Thursday, 100-75, downed Wayland in Chickasha, Okla., on Jan. 28, 103-92.
In the SAC standings, the Pioneers trail Southwestern Christian and No. 19 Oklahoma City by a game. It's believed WBU could still finish in a tie for fourth place and earn a home game in the first round of the SAC Tournament with a win over USAO Saturday and losses by SCU and OCU to John Brown and Mid-America Christian, respectively.
"First and foremost we have to win, and that's going to be the hardest thing. USAO is pretty hot right now," said Harrelson.
Maybe more importantly, he added, "You always want to play your best basketball at the end of the year, and although we lost at Wesleyan (Saturday), I feel like we played really well. So we've played two really good games after our loss at SAGU (last Thursday).
"I have a very similar feeling to last year when we won the conference championship, and we're doing it with a young team."
The coach thanked fans for their support Thursday and hopes they come out again Saturday afternoon, in part to show their appreciation for Redmond on Senior Day.
"Mo has been here for four years. He's a two-time (SAC Tournament) champion, a champion off the court, and I believe a 4.0 student as well.
"It would be fitting for everyone to come out and support us Saturday."
NOTE: Harrelson said he wore one of his grandfather's neckties Thursday and will continue doing that for the rest of the season. The coach said his "grandpa," Don Harrelson of San Antonio, is not in good health. Harrelson credits his granddad, who played basketball collegiately before a lengthy military career and later earning professor emeritus status at Texas State University in San Marcos where he started the criminal justice department, for planting the basketball bug in the family. "It all kind of started with him," Harrelson said. "I was really thinking about him today."
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