Robertson's career-high 26 fuels Pioneers

Trevonta Robertson dumped in a career-high 26 points and Josh Throns added 19 to lead No. 20 Wayland Baptist to a 92-73 victory over University of the Southwest (N.M.) on Tuesday night in Hutcherson Center.
 
Robertson hit 10-of-12 field goals, including 4-of-5 3-pointers, in powering the unbeaten Pioneers to a 4-0 start.
 
"Trevonta was awesome," Wayland coach Ty Harrelson said of the senior guard from New Orleans.
 
Robertson netted 19 of his points in the second half when Southwest (1-4) pulled to within six, 50-44. The Red River Athletic Conference's Mustangs were still hanging around with under eight minutes to play, trailing 69-61, when Wayland began putting it away.
 
Back-to-back traditional 3-play plays by Throns and Robertson sparked an 8-0 run that J.J. Culver, who added 16 points, capped with a pair of free throws. After a 3 by the Mustangs, Throns answered with his own trey before tacking on two foul shots.
 
The last 3-pointer of the game by Robertson with 2:51 to play was the 10^th for Wayland, which for the second straight game sent fans home with free French fries from McDonald's.
 
"We scored 92 points, but I felt like our offense was a little bit slow at times," Harrelson said. "Give credit to (USW) Coach (Timm) Dixon. He switched up their defenses and kept us off balance a little bit. We really had to work for our points."
 
Rokas Mazionis ended with a dozen points, giving Wayland four players in double figures. The Pioneers shot 55 percent (34-of-62) from the field and made 46 percent (10-of-22) 3s, including 7-of-13 in the second half.
 
"We missed some shots we normally make, but we did a good job controlling the boards for the most part," Harrelson said. Wayland outrebounded USW, 39-26, with Culver pulling down seven and Robertson and Mazionis six each.
 
"I thought our bigs – Rokas, Jeremy (Betjol) and Jack (Nobles) – did a good job passing the ball," Harrelson said.
 
Robertson's 26 points surpassed his previous high of 24 set exactly one year earlier in a 103-85 win over Our Lady of the Lake University.
 
Harrelson was happy his Pioneers reduced their turnovers (to 13) and second-chance points allowed (to six, including none in the first half). "That was a focus of ours," the coach said.
 
The Mustangs, who were led by Josh Harris' 20 points, shot 50 percent from the floor (28-of-56) and were 8-of-18 from long range.
 
The Pioneers now get set for their first road games of the season. Wayland will be in Pueblo, Colo., for the Al Kaly Shrine Classic, taking on Adams State (Colo.) at 4 p.m. Friday then host Colorado State-Pueblo at 8 Saturday.
 
"It's good to be 4-0," Harrelson said. "Now we need to go on the road and get some wins. That's been the biggest thing for this program. It's tough for teams to come here and play and it's been tough for us to go on the road and be away from your own rims."
 
Of Adams State and CSU-Pueblo, he said, "It will be tough tests playing two (NCAA Division II) Rocky Mountain Athletic teams. Both played well last year and so far this season look like really good teams."
 
Adams State (0-2) has lost home games to Texas-Permian Basin, 101-98, and West Texas A&M, 112-87. CSU-Pueblo (1-1) played twice in Wichita Falls, defeating Arkansas-Fort Smith, 90-83, then falling to Rogers State (Okla.), 68-60. CSU-Pueblo takes on Midwestern State on Friday.
 
Also Tuesday in the Hutch, Wayland's junior varsity Pioneers defeated the Southwest J.V., 62-55.