Box Score

     FORT WORTH, Texas - Junior Ben Hunt tallied 25 points, 10 rebounds and four assists to lead Texas Wesleyan past UT-Permian Basin, 98-81, Sunday evening in Red River Athletic Conference action.

     Texas Wesleyan (11-6, 7-2 RRAC) started off hot, racing out to a 9-0 lead at the 18:57 mark of the first half. The Rams received treys from juniors Khayri McKinney and Brad Schilder, along with Hunt to key the run.

     UT-Permian Basin (3-16, 3-7 RRAC) fought back with a 23-14 run over the next 10 minutes to tie the score, 23-23, with 8:38 remaining before the break. Marlo Saunders had the hot hand, scoring 12 points during the span.

     Two free-throws by senior Vince Williams at the 1:15 mark gave the Rams a 43-38 lead, but Marlo Saunders fast-break layup with two seconds remaining cut the lead to, 46-44 at the break. Saunders was the leading scorer for both squads with 20 points at halftime.

     In the second half, the Falcons took a quick 47-46 lead on a trey by Marlo Saunders at the 18:29 mark, but that is the only lead they would see. The Rams closed the game out with some excellent free-throw shooting during the entire second half. Senior Tommy Johnson and Hunt went a combined 13-13 from the charity stripe in the second period to lead Rams.

     McKinney registered 18 points, which included four treys, while junior Scott Reasoner added a double-double with 13 points and 11 rebounds. Johnson finished with 16 points and four assists, while Schilder added 11 points.

     Marlo Saunders led UT-Permian Basin with 31 points, on 11-of-22 shooting, which included seven made three-pointers. Art Garcia finished with 15 points, seven rebounds and seven assists.

     Texas Wesleyan shot 43 percent (33-76) from the floor and 76 percent (22-29) from the charity stripe. The Rams also shot 33 percent (10-30) from the three-point line.

     UT-Permian Basin shot 50 percent (30-60) from the field and 55 percent (6-11) from the free-throw line. The Falcons also shot an amazing 56 percent (15-27) from behind the arc.

     Texas Wesleyan will be back in action Saturday when they travel to take on conference-leader Houston Baptist. Tip-off is set for 7:30 p.m. at Sharp Gymnasium. The Rams fell to the Huskies all three times last season, which included a 101-97 loss in the RRAC quarterfinals.