Fort Worth, Texas – The Pioneers Sooner Athletic Conference Tournament came to an end on Monday afternoon after they fell short to the 2
nd ranked team in NAIA, Langston, from the tournament host site, Texas Wesleyan University in Fort Worth.
Wayland Baptist got the scoring underway in this SAC Semi-Final matchup after
Brett Leach drained a corner 3-pointer off the pass from
D'Michael Bellfield. After the Lions answered with a three to tie the game, Bellfield converted a 4-0 personal run to give the Pioneers an early 7-3 lead. 2
nd ranked Langston took a 12-11 lead almost eight minutes into the contest, but Bellfield attacked for another layup to help the Pioneers back in front, 13-12. The Pioneers fell behind 23-13 after allowing Langston to go on an 11-0 run to take command of this game.
The Pioneers got another bucket from Bellfield with just under seven minutes remaining until the halftime break to make it 27-16, but another 5-0 burst by the Lions extended their lead to 32-16.
Jahvonta Jones knocked down a three from the top of the arc, and
Meikkel Murray hit a jumper from the top of the key just inside the arc to give the Pioneers a 5-0 run of their own to make it 32-21, Langston. The Pioneers went cold from the floor for the final three minutes of the half, only scoring four made free throws over that span. Langston hit a buzzer-beating three to end the first half and take a 44-24 lead into the intermission.
The Pioneers opened the second half allowing the Lions to attack the paint for a layup, but
Tahjae Hill answered immediately by scoring through contact for an and-one. Hill got another bucket three minutes into the half after cleaning up the offensive boards for a tip in layup for another and-one. Hill scored 13 of the Pioneers 14 points in the first seven minutes of the second half. The Pioneers were able to trim their deficit to 60-44 after
Jaxon Recer finished in the paint off the pass from Hill.
With the Pioneers falling down by 21 points, they continued to show fight after
Quenton Coleman sunk a three to make it 71-53 with just over seven minutes left in regulation. Coleman drilled another three with just under five minutes remaining, but the Pioneers were unable to get back within single digits of the Lions and suffered the Semi-final loss, 84-67.
Two of the big differences in the game were points in the paint and points of turnovers. The Pioneers were able to score 24 points in the paint, but the Lions tallied 44 points in the paint to double the Pioneers. The Pioneers forced the Lions into 11 turnovers and scored 7 points off them. The Lions forced the Pioneers into 19 turnovers, and they scored 27 points off them.
Hill finished with 22 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, and shot 50% from the floor and 90% from the free throw line. Bellfield added 13 points, 6 rebounds, and finished 6-10 from the floor. Coleman went for 12 points on 3-5 shooting from the floor and 3-4 from 3-point range.
Wayland Baptist will now wait patiently for Thursday night as the National Tournament Field will be announced with a Selection Show beginning at 6:00 PM. The Pioneers expect to hear their name called after posting an overall record of 21-9, and a Sooner Athletic Conference record of 15-7 – which placed them fourth in a very tough Sooner Athletic Conference.
