IT'S ALL OVER!

HUNT'S THREE LIFTS RAMS TO NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP
March 21, 2006

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KANSAS CITY, MO:  With 6.8 seconds on the clock, Oklahoma City’s Rory Green went to the line for a one-and-one.  Green hit the first, giving OCU a 65-64 lead.  His second shot missed, and Ben Hunt grabbed the rebound, dribbled the length of the court, and hit a fall-away three with 0.2 seconds on the clock to lift Texas Wesleyan to its first ever National Championship.

“Coach drew up the play for me, and the rebound came right to me,” Hunt said.  “I knew that, with six seconds, I could dribble to a spot and put up a shot.  That was unbelievable.” 

“It’s so surreal,” said Texas Wesleyan head coach Terry Waldrop, who was named the Rawlings-NAIA Division I Men’s Basketball Coach of the Year following the contest.  “These guys have amazed me all year, and I couldn’t be happier for them.”

The incredible accomplishment of this team may not set in completely for some time.  For the Rams, the 69th Annual Buffalo Funds NAIA Division I Men’s Basketball National Championship was the culmination of two years of hard work from a core group that featured seven seniors this season.

At 8:00 p.m. on Tuesday, the Rams met #7 Oklahoma City at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, MO, with the National Title on the line.  The Stars had been to the championship game four times before, winning titles in 1991, 1992, 1994, and 1996, giving them more NAIA National Championships than any other School.  Meanwhile the Rams have been creating their own tradition.  Texas Wesleyan had reached uncharted territory making its first appearance in the championship game in the 68-year history of the program.

The Stars featured Lorenzo Gordon, who was leading the tourney with 25.8 points per game while Dawad Drew ranked third with 21.3.  OCU was leading the tournament as a team with 90.3 points per game and a 15.3 average margin of victory.

In the first half, the Rams were clicking on all cylinders as they shot 54% from the field and hit on 6-of-10 three-pointers.  Ben Hunt and Evan Patterson combined for 23 points in the frame, and Texas Wesleyan led 36-28 at the break.

Oklahoma City would not go down without a phenomenal fight.  The Stars opened the second half on a 9-1 run to take the lead at 40-39.  The Rams recovered and took the largest lead of the half, 63-57, when Evan Patterson hit a pair of free throws with 2:11 on the clock.

Again, the Stars battled back with a three and two free throws from Ryan Godwin to bring the score to 63-62 with 1:20 to play.  Patterson and OCU’s Trevor Meier traded buckets before Rory Green drove the baseline and drew a foul with 6.8 seconds on the clock. 

Green hit one-of-two; the basketball gods guided the rebound directly into Hunt’s hands, and the rest is history.

Hunt finished with a tournament and career-high 34 points (including 21 in the second half) on 11-of-19 shooting including 7-of-11 from long range while hitting on all five from the charity stripe.  Evan Patterson, who was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player, added 14 points for the Rams.  Both Hunt and Patterson were named to the All-Tournament team.  All five OCU starters scored in double-figures led by Drew’s 19 points.

The Rams hit on 10-of-17 three’s and outscored OCU 13-5 from the free throw line.