PATTERSON WINS 2nd CONSECUTIVE RRAC P.O.W. AWARD:

RAMS REMAIN IN TOP-10
December 6, 2006

FORT WORTH, TX:  For the second consecutive week, Texas Wesleyan University’s Evan Patters has been selected as Red River Athletic Conference Player of the Week.  Meanwhile the Rams have been slated ninth in the first regular season NAIA Poll.

Patterson, a senior guard from Cedar Hill, TX, had an outstanding weekend at the Oklahoma City University Classic.  His 38 points and 21 rebounds in two games over the weekend put him in the top-ten nationally in points (21.2 – 7th) and rebounds (9.0 – 10th) per game this season.

On Saturday, he approached a double-double with 12 points and nine rebounds as Texas Wesleyan won, 73-69, over St. Gregory’s University (OK).  Then, in a rematch of last year’s NAIA Division I Men’s Basketball National Championship game, the Rams squared off against Oklahoma City and took the second ranked Stars down to the wire before falling 75-74.  Patterson led his team with 26 points and 12 boards in that contest. For the two-game stretch, he was 13-of-32 from the field (41.0%) and 8-of-11 from the free throw line.

The Rams, who were ranked sixth in the NAIA’s preseason poll, fell to ninth after a 7-3 start this season.  Texas Wesleyan’s only losses thus far came at the hands of #2 Oklahoma City, 75-74, #21 Oklahoma Christian, 70-61, and #4 (NAIA Division II) Sioux Falls, 83-70.  Meanwhile they have taken wins over #7 LSU-Shreveport, 72-58, and #22 Westmont, 72-62.  Texas Wesleyan currently ranks 7th in the nation in rebounding margin at 14.7 and 20th in scoring margin at 15.1.

The Rams return to the court on Saturday, December 9, when they take on UT-San Antonio in exhibition action.  That game is scheduled to start at 7:00 p.m. in San Antonio, TX.

NAIA Poll #1

Others Receiving Votes

William Carey (Miss.), 55; Missouri Baptist, 46; Point Loma Nazarene (Calif.), 42; Northwestern Oklahoma, 37; St. Xavier (Ill.), 35; Southern Polytechnic (Ga.), 32; Illinois-Springfield, 15; Xavier (La.), 15; Biola (Calif.), 7; Jarvis Christian (Texas), 6; Belhaven (Miss.), 3; Wayland Baptist (Texas), 3; Emmanuel (Ga.), 1.