WAXAHACHIE --- The Wayland Baptist Pioneers delivered one of their most complete performances of the season Saturday afternoon, knocking off #8 Nelson Lions 102–87 on the road in Waxahachie. The win pushes Wayland Baptist to 16–5 overall and 10–5 in conference play, while handing Nelson just its fourth loss of the season.
After trailing 55–52 at the break, the Pioneers flipped the game on its head with a dominant second half, outscoring Nelson 50–32. Wayland's offense caught fire, shooting nearly 53 percent from three in the final 20 minutes and putting constant pressure on the Lions with pace, ball movement, and tough finishes at the rim.
Jamari Lawrence led the way with a game-high 25 points, knocking down five three-pointers and going 8-for-9 at the free throw line.
Rico Yarbrough followed with 21 points and seven rebounds, while dishing out three assists and setting the tone offensively in the first half.
Brett Leach was flawless in the second half, scoring all 14 of his points after halftime and hitting four triples that helped Wayland seize momentum.
Wayland's depth proved to be a major difference. The Pioneer bench poured in 37 points, highlighted by
Marcus Green's 18 points and eight rebounds and
Julian Perez's 17-point effort. The Pioneers also capitalized on turnovers, scoring 22 points off Nelson miscues and adding 15 fast-break points to keep the Lions on their heels.
The turning point came midway through the second half, when Wayland used a barrage of three-pointers and defensive stops to build a double-digit lead. From there, the Pioneers stayed poised, closed strong at the free-throw line, and never allowed Nelson to mount a serious comeback.
Wayland Baptist finished the afternoon shooting 46.6 percent from the field, 48.4 percent from beyond the arc, and an impressive 90.5 percent at the foul line—numbers that underscored a confident, disciplined performance against one of the top teams in the nation.
The Pioneers will look to continue building momentum down the final stretch of SAC play when they host College of the Ozarks on Thursday, February 5
th, at 8:00 PM in the Hutcherson Center.
