Box Score RUSSELLVILLE, Ark. — Nick Wayman turned in a 17-point, nine-rebound performance, while
D.J. Jethroe had a 16-point, seven-board effort off the bench to lead a cast of four Arkansas Tech players in double figures as the Wonder Boys basketball team (4-3) picked up a 72-59 win over Southwest Baptist (3-4) on Saturday at Tucker Coliseum in the finale of the Arkansas Tech Thanksgiving Classic.
After the Wonder Boys scored the first four points of the contest, SBU used a 5-0 run to claim a 5-4 lead with 14:36 to go in the first half. The lead would be short-lived, however, as Wayman buried a long 3-pointer with 13:44 to play in the half, and Arkansas Tech would not trail again.
A 6-0 run pushed Tech's lead to five (10-5) seven minutes into the game, and the Wonder Boys would extend their lead out to 10 (22-12) with 5:49 to play in the half. Tech led by as many as 14 (28-14) with 2:49 left before settling into the half with a 33-22 lead.
The Bearcats came out hot in the second half, pulling to within four (35-31) with 17:21 to play. The lead fluctuated between four and nine until
Connor Payne hit a layup with 11:54 to play, but very quickly, SBU pulled the Tech lead down into the single digits.
The Bearcats would again pull to within four (61-57) with 5:13 to play, but Tech finished the contest on an 11-2 run to claim the victory.
Tech outshot SBU 56.8 to 34.4 percent, shooting over 68 percent in the second half. The Wonder Boys held a 39-25 advantage on the rebounding glass, while outscoring SBU in the paint 28-22.
For their play during the tournament, Wayman and Williams were named to the All-Tournament team.
The Wonder Boys return to action on Thursday, Dec. 4, opening Great American Conference play against Ouachita Baptist. Tip-off from Tucker Coliseum is set for 7:30 p.m., with the game slated to be carried live on KWKK-FM (100.9) in Russellville. Live statistics, audio, and video are available at
www.arkansastechsports.com.
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