PLAINVIEW, Texas (Interstat) — Wayland Baptist used an early scoring surge and a balanced offensive attack to beat Tabor 103-63 in a men’s NAIA basketball game at Hutcherson Center. The Pioneers improved to 3-1, while the Bluejays dropped to 0-4.

Wayland Baptist scored 51 points in the first quarter and added 52 over the remaining three quarters. Tabor scored 33 points in the first quarter and 30 over the final three quarters. The Pioneers shot 38 of 73 from the floor, 8 of 23 from 3-point range and 19 of 25 from the free-throw line. Tabor shot 23 of 55 overall, 5 of 17 from beyond the arc and 12 of 19 at the line.

Wayland Baptist finished with 38 rebounds, including 15 on the offensive end, and had eight assists, four blocks and eight turnovers. Tabor had 29 rebounds, nine offensive, with four assists and 14 turnovers. Both teams committed 15 fouls. Wayland Baptist scored 103 points from 78 possessions with an offensive rating of 132.3. Tabor scored 63 points from 69 possessions with an offensive rating of 91.3.

Jonathan Williams led Wayland Baptist with 19 points, four rebounds and three assists in 27 minutes. Isaiah McAdams added 12 points, nine rebounds and one assist in 18 minutes. Titus Miller paced Tabor with 16 points and six rebounds in 24 minutes. Khalil Allen added 10 points, eight rebounds and one assist in 24 minutes. Talmadge Taylor had 11 points and three rebounds in 18 minutes. Chuks Ejiofor finished with nine points, two rebounds, two assists and one block in 17 minutes. Daryl Bod scored 11 points with three rebounds and one assist in 13 minutes. Jeron Lawrence had eight points, two rebounds and two assists in 25 minutes. Isaiah Foster added eight points, two rebounds and four assists in 14 minutes. DeCarlo Browne added seven points and four rebounds in 20 minutes.

The decisive stretch came at the start, when Wayland Baptist opened with 12 unanswered points. Jonathan Williams began the run with a layup, Chuks Ejiofor followed with a layup and a free throw, Williams hit a 3-pointer, Jeron Lawrence made a layup and Talmadge Taylor scored inside before Tabor answered with Khalil Allen’s layup. The Pioneers kept attacking the rim, getting baskets from Predrag Panisic and Daryl Bod and a dunk from Panisic. Tabor’s Daniel Henderson made two free throws, DeCarlo Browne hit a 3-pointer and Dylan Cox connected from beyond the arc, while Khalil Allen made a 3-pointer. Wayland Baptist answered with another Williams 3-pointer, a Chuks Ejiofor layup and a Jordan Logan layup. Wayland Baptist’s Daryl Bod scored on several layups in the first quarter, and Talmadge Taylor added free throws and a 3-pointer. Moustafa Abualneel made free throws, Freddie Cooper scored on a layup and Jordan Logan added a layup as the Pioneers maintained control. Tabor received early production from Allen and Titus Miller, but the Bluejays could not keep pace.

Wayland Baptist stretched the lead behind Williams and McAdams. Williams made 3-pointers in the first and second quarters and finished as the top star. McAdams scored repeatedly on layups in the second quarter. Isaiah Foster and Freddie Cooper also added baskets for the Pioneers. In the second quarter, Miller scored inside for Tabor, but Ejiofor hit a 3-pointer and McAdams scored on consecutive layups. Foster added layups and free throws, and Freddie Cooper made a 3-pointer as Wayland Baptist pulled away. Wayland Baptist never trailed after the opening sequence and led by a wide margin throughout the second quarter. Tabor’s best moments came when Allen and Miller scored inside and when Browne and Cox connected from deep. Tabor stayed active on the boards and got scoring from Miller and Allen, but the Bluejays struggled to match Wayland Baptist’s shooting pace. The Pioneers shot 52.1 percent from the field and made 19 free throws, while Tabor shot 41.8 percent and went 5 of 17 from deep.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Wayland Baptist 85, Tabor 79, and Interstat’s ELO system had projected Wayland Baptist with a 98 percent probability to win.