March 16, 2006

Kansas City, Mo. - Making its first national tournament appearance in 23 years, Texas Wesleyan University eliminated No. 5 seed Union University (Tenn.) 82-64 in a first round game at the 69th Annual Buffalo Funds-NAIA Division I Men's Basketball National Championship Thursday at Municipal Auditorium.

Senior guard Ben Hunt poured in a game-high 27 points, while senior guard Kharyi McKinney scored 15 of his 20 points in the first half to lead the Rams to their first national tournament victory since 1983. Texas Wesleyan moves to 21-9 on the year and advances to second-round action on Friday. The Rams will face either No. 12-seed Lee University (Tenn.) or Oklahoma Christian University Friday at 2:15 p.m. CST.

After trailing in the early stages of the first half, Texas Wesleyan used a 10-2 run to take the lead for good, 22-15, with 9:45 left in the period. The Rams then closed the half on a 9-2 spurt to take a 45-29 lead into the locker room. Union came as close as nine points in the second half, but Texas Wesleyan was able to maintain its double-digit lead to post the victory.

Junior guard Evan Patterson added 14 points and a game-high 10 rebounds for Texas Wesleyan, while senior guard Brad Schilder dished out five assists for the Rams.

Union was led by junior guard Mack Bealim, who scored 16 points. Senior guard Corey Burkett connected for 12 points, while junior forward Dwayne Lee added 10 points and seven rebounds for the Bulldogs. Union saw its eight-game win streak snapped with the loss. The Bulldogs close out their 2005-06 season with an overall record of 28-6.