Eagles Down Rust for Seventh Straight Victory

WALNUT RIDGE, Ark. (11/29/25) – The Williams Baptist University men's basketball team began its season with a seventh-straight win, defeating Rust 89-60 at the Southerland-Mabee Center on Saturday afternoon.

Deion Wesson led with 28 points, including 11 from the free-throw line. Jesse Washington recorded his fifth double-double of the season, finishing with 25 points and 11 rebounds.  

As a team, WBU went 33-of-68 (48.5 percent) from the field while holding Rust to 22-of-59 (37.3 percent) shooting.  Williams won the rebound battle 46-35 and scored 21 points on 20 Bearcat turnovers.  The Eagles never trailed in the contest.

An Amarion Wilson three-pointer capped off a 9-0 Eagle run to begin the game.  Rust cut the lead to three with 13:45 to go in the first half, but the Eagles responded with a 9-2 run to take a 20-10 lead.  Two free throws from Wesson sent WBU into the locker room up 35-26 at halftime.

Williams began the second half with an 11-3 swing to go up by 19 with 16:45 in the second half.  With 9:52 on the clock, a Christ Theodor dunk capped off a 12-4 Williams run to force a Rust timeout.  

Washington gave WBU its largest lead of the day with a layup at 4:14 left in the second half that put Williams up 36 points.  The Eagles cruised through the final four minutes to clinch their seventh-straight win.

Williams continues its best start in modern program history with a 7-0 start to the season.  The Eagles will look to continue the streak on the road to begin conference play on Wednesday, Dec. 3, against (RV) Columbia.  Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m. from Columbia, Mo.