Box Score
MUSKOGEE, Okla. – Trevonta Robertson scored 19 points and Ruben Lopez 17 to help No. 21 Wayland Baptist snap a three-game skid with a 90-80 Sooner Athletic Conference win over Bacone here Saturday afternoon.
"I thought we played really well today," Wayland coach Ty Harrelson said. "We showed a lot of guts. It's good to get a road win."
The Pioneers (10-3, 3-2 SAC) never trailed against the last-place Warriors (3-10, 0-5), although the outcome wasn't decided until late.
Wayland led by 18, 69-51, with 8½ minutes left, but Bacone got within four, 76-72, with just under two minutes to play.
The Pioneers' free throw shooting took over from there, starting when Lopez made four in a row that included a technical foul against the Warriors' coach.
Lopez and Robertson later added two foul shots each, and Robertson's traditional three-point play with 22 seconds left sealed it. J.J. Culver added two more free throws to end the scoring.
"Overall I thought we played really well." Harrelson said. "Bacone never gave up, but I felt like we were always in control."
Wayland was never behind after Josh Throns hit a 3-pointer to start the scoring. The Pioneers built a 13-point, 27-14 lead, but the Warriors rallied to cut it to four, 30-26.
Wayland then recorded a dozen unanswered, starting with back-to-back 3s by Lopez and Josh Throns. That made it a 16-point game at 42-26, and the Pioneers took a 12-point lead into the half, up 47-35.
Bacone cut it to six early in the second half, but Wayland once again broke away to go ahead by a game-high 18, 69-51, before Bacone rallied in the final 8:22.
"We went on a big run for about five minutes or so with Tyrone (Davis) J.J., Trevonta, Sammy (Kalwanyi) and Kraig (Shields) out there," Harrelson said.
Five Pioneers scored in double-figures. Besides Robertson's 19 and Lopez's 17, Culver put in 14, Kalwayni 12 and Throns 10.
"Trevonta was really aggressive to the hoop today. J.J. was, too. Both of those guys did a good job of attacking the hoop and getting out in transition. That really opens things up for our shooters," Harrelson said.
Kalwanyi, in his second game of the season following preseason knee surgery, blocked five shots and pulled down a game-high eight rebounds as Wayland held a 36-31 edge on the boards. Lopez finished with five assists.
The Pioneers made 22-of-28 free throws (79 percent), including 17-of-21 in the second half. WBU shot just under 50 percent (30-of-62) from the floor, hitting 8-of-18 3s (44 percent). Lopez and Throns made three 3s each.
"We shot the ball really well," said Harrelson, adding that Lopez and Throns (both 3-for-5) and Robertson (1-for-1) "went a combined 7-of-11) on 3-pointers. That's really good, especially considering how many minutes those guys play."
Wayland overcame 20 turnovers, twice as many as Bacone. The Warriors got 18 points from Ramon Ajose, 15 from Mauris Hopkins, and 13 from Jason Gammage. Bacone shot 37 percent (29-of-79) from the field, 29 percent (6-of-21) from long range, and 84 percent (16-of-19) from the foul stripe.
The Pioneers next play at 8 p.m. Thursday against No. 20 (former No. 7) Science & Arts of Oklahoma (11-2, 2-2), which took on Southwestern Christian on Saturday. It will be Wayland's first home contest since Dec. 2.
"They're all tough in this conference. You have to show up every night, but Thursday is a big game," Harrelson said. "I hope our fans come out and watch Sammy and Kraig (play their first home games) and see our guys who have performed so well for most of the season."
