SAN ANTONIO – Wayland Baptist battled back from a 14-point deficit, but the Pioneers couldn't pull out the victory as the Pioneers fell to Our Lady of the Lake University here Saturday night, 84-76.
Wayland fell to 3-2 while OLLU improved to 4-0 for the first time in program history.
In a game of runs, the Pioneers got behind the 8-ball early as the Saints opened the game on an 11-1 spurt. Wayland found itself down by 13, 18-5, but scored 11 unanswered points to immediately get back in the game.
OLLU stretched its lead back out to 11 before Wayland trimmed it to six, 39-33, at the half.
The Pioneers scored the first five of the second half to get within one, but once again the Saints were able to pull away and take a 14-point, 70-56 lead with 8:42 to play.
Wayland made yet another push, scoring nine straight points to get within 71-67. A bucket by Jaxon Recer made it a three-point game, and the Pioneers were within four with 2:47 showing. But Wayland scored only three points the rest of the way – a 3-pointer by Gage Hulse – as the Saints hit five free throws down the stretch and closed out the game on a 7-3 run.
Recer led Wayland with 16 points and eight rebounds. Javorian Miller added a dozen points, Josh Servantez 11 and Javorian Miller 10.
OLLU, which got 23 points from Joseph Anderson and 15 from Jordan Embry, shot 43 free throws, hitting 23 including Anderson going 13-for-10. Wayland shot 31 foul shots, hitting 22 (71 percent). Servantez 6-for-6.
Next up for Wayland is the Sooner Athletic Conference opener against Southwestern Christian (2-2), which fell to OLLU on Oct. 30 in San Antonio, 103-89, and to Oral Roberts on Friday in Tulsa, 121-50. The Eagles defeated Barclay College, 111-79, and Huston-Tillotson on Saturday, 84-82. Wayland defeated Huston-Tillotson on Friday in Austin, 72-59.
