FORT WORTH –
Josh Servantez hit a 3-pointer with 3.6 seconds left to lift Wayland Baptist to a rousing 61-60 Sooner Athletic Conference victory over Texas Wesleyan on Thursday night at the Sid Richardson Center.
In picking up its season-high fifth win in a row, Wayland (15-11, 11-8 SAC) raced to a 17-2 lead and went up by as many as 16, but Texas Wesleyan 18-8, 10-7) – ranked the equivalent of 40
th in the NAIA – came storming back.
The Rams, who beat Wayland by 29 points when they met in Plainview a month ago, opened the second half with nine unanswered points to get back in it. TXWES took its first lead of the game with 15 minutes left, but Wayland responded to regain command, up 55-50 with six minutes left.
From there, the Rams ran off 10 straight points to take a 60-55 lead, but Wayland didn't allow Texas Wesleyan to score over the final three minutes of the game.
The Pioneers, meanwhile, got a 3-pointer from
RJ Mason with just under two minutes to play. Shot-block specialist
Jibrael Washington did his thing by swatting away a layup in the middle of the lane. Servantez missed a 3-pointer from near the top of the key, but the Rams missed one at their end to give the ball back to Wayland.
The Pioneers had it stolen away, though, and TXWES almost put it away with a reverse layup by Sebastian Karwoski. But the ball spun off the rim and Washington rebounded. Wayland hurried up the floor and, without calling timeout, got the ball to Servantez in the corner in front of the Pioneers bench where the sophomore from Shallowater connected for the game-winning 3 with 3.6 seconds to go.
The Rams raced back the other way and a running shot near the 3-point line at the buzzer rimmed out.
Mason ended with 23 points, hitting 5-of-8 3-pointers. Servantez and
Dylan McDougal added nine points apiece.
TXWES put four players in double figures, led by Peyton Sallee's 14 points.
Wayland shot just four free throws, while TXWES was 10-of-13 from the stripe. The Pioneers pulled down just 26 rebounds, but that was still two more than the Rams. WBU allowed TXWES just three offensive boards.
The Pioneers have now won five straight, two more than its previous longest winning streak this season. Wayland is 8-2 over the last 10 games, with the two losses by a combined three points.
WBU plays its final regular-season road game on Saturday afternoon in Chickasha, Okla., against 10
th-ranked Science & Arts of Oklahoma. The league-leading Drovers (21-4, 16-2) took a five-game winning streak into their game Thursday against Oklahoma-Panhandle State.
S&A defeated WBU when they met Jan. 6 in Hutcherson Center, 73-70.
