Taylor scores career-high 26 points in loss to Texas Wesleyan

 By: Malcolm Shields / Staff Writer

For the third time in four games, the Golden Panthers were in a game that came down to the final minutes. This time it was at the expense of former Panther Eric Frederick who had 11 points as Texas Wesleyan defeated FIU 72-68 in Nacogdoches, Texas in the first round of the Etech Lumberjack Classic.

With 1:09 remaining and the game tied at 68, FIU had possession of the ball. Phil Taylor hoisted up a three pointer and missed. Texas Wesleyan then went down the court and Jazz Holman scored on a layup to give the Rams a 70-68 lead with eight seconds remaining.

With their last chance to tie the game, DeJuan Wright was called for an offensive foul while setting a screen, which prevented them from attempting a shot. Brian Talley added two late free throws to ice the game for the Rams to secure a 72-68 victory.

“I thought we executed pretty good down the stretch,” Head Coach Isiah Thomas said. “Defensively we tried to take the ball out of their scorer’s hands in the last 30 seconds. We didn’t get a chance to get a shot off. I thought that DeJuan set a great screen, [but] the referee called an offensive foul.”

Taylor finished the game with a career-high 26-points for the Golden Panthers. DeJuan Wright scored 20 plus points for the second consecutive game with his 24-points in defeat.

Texas Wesleyan (7-1) was led offensively by guard Ronnie Moss who scored 25 points. Along with his 11 points, Frederick also grabbed seven rebounds for the Rams against his former squad. Texas Wesleyan finished shooting 48.1 percent from the field.

The tempo in the first ten minutes of the first half was quick. With the game tied at 17 ten minutes into the half, the Panthers went on a 13-6 run which was fueled by the scoring of Phil Taylor, DeJuan Wright and Jeremy Allen to take a 30-23 lead with 7:22 remaining in the half. The Rams were able to keep the game close due to their hot shooting from beyond the arch. Texas Wesleyan was able to close the gap before halftime as the Golden Panthers led 41-39. Taylor led FIU (2-6) with 19 points in the half.

The Rams came out of the locker room in the second half and went on a 20-8 run to take a 58-49 lead. The Panthers countered with an 8-0 run to cut the deficit to 58-57 with 8:09 remaining.

FIU finished the game shooting 46.3 percent from the field and shot 75 percent (12-of-16) from the free throw line. Turnovers continue to be an issue as the Panthers committed 15 turnovers in the game.

“We were pretty consistent offensively,” Thomas said. “We moved the ball well, but still too many turnovers.”