Box Score

     TYLER, Texas - Senior Tommy Johnson registered 29 points and seven rebounds but that was not enough as Texas Wesleyan fell to Texas College, 97-83, Thursday evening in Red River Athletic Conference action.

     Texas College (12-13, 11-7 RRAC) opened the game on a 15-0 run in which the Steers forced the Rams into five turnovers in the first five minutes. The run was keyed by six points from David Martin who drained two treys to give the Steers the early lead.

     Texas Wesleyan was able to cut the lead to six with the help 15 firs-half points from Johnson. The Rams also got a trey from junior Khayri McKinney with two seconds left to go in at halftime down, 44-38.

     In the second half, Texas College increased its lead to 59-45, with 14:34 remaining in the game. Jamar Adams led the way with six points during the 15-7 run.

     Texas Wesleyan then mounted a furious comeback, outscoring Texas College, 16-4, over the next four minutes to cut the lead to 63-61, with 10:43 remaining. Johnson hit three treys during the stretch. The Rams hit nine three-pointers in the second half, and Johnson ended up with seven trifectas on the night.

     The Steers then distanced themselves from Wesleyan using a 15-5 run over then next five minutes and take a commanding 78-66 lead with 5:07 remaining in the contest. The Steers received six points from Antron Moore to lead the way.

     The Rams would cut the lead to five, but Mario Kinsey made 6-of-6 free throws down the stretch to give the Steers the victory.

     Junior Ben Hunt tallied 18 points, five rebounds and six assists, while McKinney chipped in with nine points and seven assists. Junior Muhammad Abdullah came off of the bench to score six points and dish out two assists for the Rams.

     Adams led Texas College with 24 points and eight rebounds, while Kinsey added 21 points, seven rebounds and eight assists for the Steers.

     Texas College outrebounded the Rams, 39-30, and forced the Rams into 15 turnovers.

     Texas Wesleyan shot 47 percent (33-71) from the floor and 50 percent (2-4) from the charity stripe. The Rams also shot 38 percent (15-40) from the three-point line.

     Texas College shot 59 percent (38-64) from the field and 61 percent (11-18) from the free-throw line. The Steers also shot 46 percent (10-22) from behind the arc.

     Texas Wesleyan will be back in action Monday when it travels to take on conference-rival UT-Permian Basin. Tip-off is set for 8 p.m. in Odessa, Texas. The Rams defeated the Falcons, 98-81, Jan. 16th, in Fort Worth. The Rams are currently in third place in the Red River Athletic Conference, one game ahead of both Texas College and Texas A&M-International with four games remaining. Check www.redriverconference.com for complete standings.