HILLSBORO, Kan. --- Wayland Baptist men's basketball overcame a strong second-half push from Concordia (Neb.) to secure a gritty 75–72 victory Saturday afternoon at the Tabor Classic, keeping the Pioneers unbeaten at 2–0 on the young season.
After leading by as many as 22 points in the first half, Wayland Baptist had to fight off a determined Concordia squad that refused to go quietly. Despite the late-game surge, the Pioneers held steady down the stretch behind clutch scoring from
Julian Perez and
Rico Yarbrough.
Perez led the Pioneers with 19 points, hitting 4-of-7 from three-point range, while Yarbrough added 15 points, three steals, and several key buckets in transition.
Damonze Woods contributed 11 points and three rebounds, and
Marcus Green provided an efficient 9 points and four assists, helping Wayland shoot just over 50% from the floor (28-of-55).
Wayland came out firing, hitting eight threes in the opening half and dominating inside with 38 points in the paint. The Pioneers built a 45–23 lead midway through the period before Concordia began to chip away, trimming the deficit to single digits late in the game. A three-pointer by Jacobsen gave the Bulldogs their first lead at 69–68 with just under two minutes remaining.
But Wayland responded like a veteran team.
Brett Leach nailed a go-ahead three-pointer, and Yarbrough finished a crucial layup in traffic to put the Pioneers back on top. Perez then sealed the win from the free-throw line in the final seconds.
The Pioneers also won the turnover battle, forcing 15 giveaways while collecting eight steals, including five from Leach. Despite Concordia's 93% shooting from the free-throw line, Wayland's balanced scoring and defensive stops proved decisive.
With the win, Wayland Baptist improves to 2–0 and will look to carry that momentum into their home opener on Saturday, November 8
th when they host
RV Central Baptist College at 5:00 PM in the Hutcherson Center.
