Lions remain unbeaten, rout Rams

SAGU builds 43-23 halftime lead

Rambo, Ward pace Purple Pride

AUSTIN, Texas  --  Southwestern Assemblies of God University rolled to their ninth straight win, 86-64, over Huston-Tillotson University on Saturday night.

The Lions roared early and often, ignited by their defense and sharp-shooters. By halftime they had a 43-23 advantage. The teams exchanged points in the second half with SAGU's depth outlasting the Rams.

Southwestern ran their record to 9-0 overall and are now 3-0 in the Red River Athletic Conference. It is the best start for the Lions in over ten years. HTU dropped to 0-7 and 0-5.

Dominique Rambo (Dallas, Tx / Oklahoma Wesleyan, Trinity Christian - Cedar Hill) led the way with 22-points. The sophomore transfer point guard connected on 8-of-16 shots, including 5-of-12 from long distance. 

Nathaniel Duce Ward (Waco, Tx / Univ. of N. Texas, Connally HS), a junior forward, powered in 16-points. He also ripped down 10 boards and blocked two shots, all in twenty-minutes of playing time.

While the teams battled to a near draw on the boards; SAGU holding a 49-46 edge, the Lions outshot the Rams 45% to 37% and forced them into 23 turnovers. Southwestern turned the miscues into 23 points, while Rams converted 19 SAGU turnovers into only 13 points. 

The Lions had eight different players hit a three-pointer as the team combined to stroke 13 triples. They have found the bottom of the net 54 times in their last four games. Tillotson was true on just 3-of-16.

James Ford (Houston, Tx / Victoria Faith Academy) added nine points. Ronald Horne (Waco, Tx / Univ. of N. Texas, Waco HS) and Mike Nwelue (Lewisville, Tx / Lewisville HS) each contributed eight points, with the latter snaring eight boards.

Christian Wood-Dvorak (Halletsville, Tx / Halletsville HS) registered seven points and six caroms. Craig Grisgsby (Houston, Tx / Glenda Dawson HS) had a game-high five assists. He was one of 12 players with at least one helper.

Four knotted atop the Red River

The RRAC has four men's teams with unblemished marks in conference games. 

Our Lady of the Lake University, no. 24 in the NAIA coaches poll, are on a roll. The Saints thumped Paul Quinn College on Saturday, 94-78, to up their ledger to 7-3 and their league mark to 4-0. 

Sixth ranked Texas Wesleyan University is 6-1 in all games and 3-0 in the Red River. They stunned NCAA Division I Florida International, coached by Isiah Thomas, 72-68, in an exhibition game on Saturday.

The University of St. Thomas, a new RRAC member, is 4-4 and 3-0, tied with SAGU. 

Taking on the heavyweights

SAGU will take on OLLU on Monday in San Antonio and Wesleyan in their next game, January 5, in Fort Worth. Along with LSU-Shreveport, the three teams were the pre-season picks to contend for the league title.

The litmus test against the full-court pressure of the Saints can be followed by fans by a LiveStats webcast, accessible on the OLLU website: www.ollusaintsathletics.com. Click on NAIA Stats (live stats), then on the (((W))) icon to the right of the game.

Contact: Mark "Link" Warde, Sports Information Director, at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or at 469-658-2847.