Lights-out 3-point shooting lifts Pioneers back into win column

Boosted by spectacular 3-point shooting, Wayland Baptist exploded for one of its most lopsided wins ever as the Pioneers blew away Calvary University on Tuesday evening at Hutcherson Center, 105-39.

"I'm happy for our guys, especially since we were coming off a three-game losing streak," Wayland coach Clint Galyean said. "Every team will face adversity, so it says a lot how a team deals with that. Our guys haven't pointed fingers. They dug in and looked in the mirror and saw what each guy needed to improve on. It's been a testament to our team for staying the course and trusting each other."

Wayland (7-5) started to pull away late in the first half. Leading 17-8 with 10½ minutes left in the first half, the Pioneers scored 16 straight points and were up by 34, 50-16, at halftime.

It was a 49-point spread, 72-23, seven minutes into the second half, then Wayland made its last big push, 14 unanswered, to kick off a game-ending 24-6 run.

The 66-point margin of victory represented the largest for the Pioneers since the program-record 83-point difference in a 121-38 romp over Barclay in 2007. The 105 points were the most for WBU since Dec, 10, 2019, when J.J. Culver scored 100 points in a 124-60 win over Southwestern Adventist.

Wayland hit 16 3-pointers, missing just eight, for a 67 percent success rate. The Pioneers knocked down 9-of-12 (75 percent) in the first half and 7-of-12 in the second.

"We shot the ball really well," Galyean said. "Guys have been getting in the gym and staying in the gym. They say the basketball gods reward hard work. If you're putting in the work the shots are going to fall eventually. It was good to get out of our slump and make some shots."

Five Pioneers scored in double-figures, led by Thad Udoh and Gage Hulse with 17 each. Amine Bensaleh added 15, more than doubling his previous best, Josh Servantez 14 and Dylan McDougal a season-high 12. Jordan Brannon was one point shy of double digits and Javorian Miller two short. Hulse hit 4-of-5 3s and Servantez 4-of-6 to lead the long-range show.

Kansas City-based Calvary (1-6), a member of the National Christian College Athletic Association, ended with 26 turnovers, and Wayland got 16 steals led by Jaxon Recer with four. Recer also had a team-best nine rebounds as the Pioneers held a 42-24 edge on the boards.

"I thought our ball pressure was good. We forced some turnovers, and that helped us get some easy buckets that we haven' been getting," Galyean said. "That needs to continue: active hands and getting deflections. We did a good job of guarding without fouls." The Pioneers were whistled for only nine fouls, and only two in the second half.

Wayland is back in action at 3 p.m. Saturday in the Hutch against Champion Christian College of Hot Springs, Ark. Champion (2-8), like Calvary an NCCAA school, faces Eastern New Mexico on Thursday in Portales.