Plainview – For the second straight game, the Pioneers overcame a late deficit to come from behind for a Sooner Athletic Conference victory. Tuesday night, the Aggies of Oklahoma Panhandle State were the victims as the Pioneers triumphed 72-71.
OPSU scored the first two points of the game on two made free throws with 18:29 left in the first half. Wayland tied the game on a layup by
Dylan McDougal at the 17:49 mark, and took the lead 40 seconds later on a layup by
Adeola Seun. The Pioneers took control for the remainder of the half, leading by as many as 11 with 4:57 before halftime. The Aggies went on an 11-3 run to close the half and WBU led 35-32.
The second half was much different than the first as the score was tied five times and the lead changed hands six times. The Aggies were seemingly in control when they took a nine-point lead, 61-52, with only 6:25 remaining in the game. However, Wayland found a way to regain the momentum and outscored OPSU 20-10 in those final minutes. With the Pioneers trailing by two,
Quenton Coleman was fouled on a successful layup attempt to tie the game at 71-all with 13 seconds left. Coleman converted the free throw to give Wayland a one-point lead. The Pioneers defense prevented the Aggies from scoring as the final buzzer sounded and WBU escaped with the 72-71 victory.
Coleman led the Pioneers in scoring with 32 points. Quenton also had 4 rebounds, 2 assists and 3 steals.
Brett Leach scored 11 points along with 4 rebounds, 2 assists and 3 steals.
Dylan McDougal scored 8 points and led the team with 8 rebounds.
Adeola Seun contributed 6 points and 5 rebounds.
Kabine Kaba and
Julian Perez both scored 5 points and
Niko Noumeros had 5 rebounds along with 4 points.
The win moves the Pioneers to 4-1 in SAC play, tied for 2
nd place.
Wayland will play Kansas Wesleyan Saturday, November 30 at the Hutcherson Center. The game will tip off at 2:00pm.
