Box Score

     FORT WORTH, Texas - Sophomore Nino Etienne came off of the bench to score 18 points and pull down a game-high nine rebounds to lead Texas Wesleyan past Huston-Tillotson, 94-81, Monday evening in their Red River Athletic Conference finale.

     Huston-Tillotson (3-26, 3-19RRAC) raced to a 16-11 lead at the 13:57 mark of the first half. Jermaine Smith led the way, canning two shots from behind the arc.

     Texas Wesleyan (19-11, 15-7 RRAC) answered using a 15-4 run over the next three minutes to take a 26-20 lead with 10:49 remaining in the first half. Senior Tommy Johnson scored eight points during the stretch.

     The two teams traded the baskets the rest of the first half, with Wesleyan taking a 45-38 lead at the break. Johnson led all scorers with 11 points in the first frame.

     In the second half, Tillotson would cut the lead down to five points at the 15:12 mark, bu that is as close as they would get. Wesleyan closed the game out going 10-for-12 from the charity stripe and canning five treys in the second half. Etienne scored 10 of his 18 points in the second half.

     Johnson led all scorers with 24 points, pulled down six rebounds and dished out six assists. The Oklahoma City, Okla. native, canned six three-pointers in 35 minutes of playing time. Junior Ben Hunt added 20 points and six assists, while junior Khayri McKinney registered 10 points and tallied a game-high seven assists.

     Doyle Coyle led the attack for Tillotson, scoring 21 points and pulling down eight boards, while Jermaine Smith added 18 points.

     Texas Wesleyan shot 64 percent (35-55) from the floor and 67 percent (10-15) from the charity stripe. The Rams also shot 54 percent (14-26) from the three-point line.

     Huston-Tillotson shot 48 percent (31-65) from the field and 69 percent (11-16) from the free-throw line. The Rams also shot 31 percent (8-26) from behind the arc.

     Texas Wesleyan will be back in action Thursday when they take on Southwestern Assemblies of God in the RRAC quarterfinals. Tip-off is set for 7:30 p.m. at Waxahachie High School. By virtue of tonight's victory and Texas College's 94-91 overtime loss to Houston Baptist, the Rams garner the third seed in the tournament. The Rams defeated SAGU twice this season defeating the Lions, 90-78, in Waxahachie, and 100-95 in Fort Worth. Check www.redriverconference.com for complete standings.