CHICKASHA, Okla. –
Reece Spencer scored 24 points and
RJ Mason 23, and Wayland Baptist came back from a 13-point hole before coming up big down the stretch as the Pioneers defeated Science & Arts of Oklahoma in a battle of top Sooner Athletic Conference teams here Saturday afternoon, 93-83.
The Drovers (11-6, 8-3), ranked the equivalent of 32
nd in the NAIA, took a 13-point, 30-17 lead, but the Pioneers (11-6, 6-5 SAC), ranked the equivalent of 40
th, quickly got back in it with a 10-2 run. Wayland later went ahead and owned a 50-48 advantage at halftime.
After the Drovers closed to within three with 3½ minutes to play, it was a four-point game with 2:23 to go. From there, Wayland outscored USAO, 8-2 as the Pioneers prevented their first three-game skid of the season.
In his seventh game for Wayland, Spencer, a sophomore transfer from Houston Baptist, scored a season-high 24 points, eight more than his previous best in Thursday's loss at Texas Wesleyan. Spencer hit five of WBU's 11 3-pointers, while Mason had four bombs toward his 23 points (one off his season-best) and five assists.
Tedrick Wolfe added 16 points and a team-high seven rebounds for Wayland, while
D'Michael Bellfield got 14 points (5-of-7 FGs) and five boards off the bench.
Langston Gaither, one of five double-digit scorers for USAO, led all scorers with 26 points. The Drovers launched 47 3s, hitting 17 (37 percent) compared to Wayland's 11-of-26 (42 percent).
After 19 turnovers in Thursday's loss, Wayland gave it away just seven times, half as many as USAO, which outrebounded the Pioneers, 47-37.
The Pioneers open the second half of SAC play at 7:45 p.m. Thursday at home against Southwestern Assemblies of God University (11-7, 6-6), which defeated Wayland on Nov. 19 in Waxahachie, 88-83. The Lions rolled over Central Christian on Saturday, 94-52.
