Tremendous second half; Personal highs among group lift Dallas Men's Basketball
IRVING, Texas – The University of Dallas men's basketball team (15-7, 6-6 SCAC) notched a season-best, 53 points for a half, and were able to erase a nine-point deficit to win its third-straight contest versus a member of the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference. UD's latest victory at Schreiner University (11-12, 4-8 SCAC) helped push its longest winning streak against league foes this campaign, and also marked the second road win versus a SCAC opponent.
The win also improves the Crusaders to .500 and helps surpass their season total amount of triumphs within the league a year ago.
In a back-and-forth first stanza, neither team pulled away until the final 3:56 minutes prior to intermission watched the home squad muster a 13-6 edge. At the break, SU was ahead 43-34.
Out of intermission, the two teams traded baskets before UD rattled off seven unanswered. Two minutes into the new frame, and senior Aaron Wyatt's (Frisco, Texas) jumper nipped things to a pair, 45-43. The Mountaineers connected on a pair of free throws keeping it at a two possession game, but then senior Blaine Blackburn (Midlothian, Texas) drained a three-pointer to bring the affair within a single point.
Fellow classmate Mark Promberger (Phoenix, Ariz.) sank a jumper to lift the Navy and White to the first edge since the programs were tied with exactly seven minutes to go in the first frame. He added a free throw to double to advantage.
Schreiner would tie things a handful of times before the final result occurring with 7:51 in regulation at 60-all. The Crusaders posted a 27-17 run to finish the contest out, and this included a 12-3 run.
The Maroon and White would battle back to under double-digits behind, but could never come within seven. Dallas now moves within half a game of Colorado College for fourth place. UD and the Mountaineers went 1-1 on the season series, with the opposition prevailing at each home venue.
Shooting a season-high 59.6-percent from the field, the road squad also added a 71.4 clip with 10-of-14 being sank downtown and 75-percent from the charity stripe. SU claimed a 47.4 shooting percentage, 33.3 beyond three-point range, and 88.2 at the free throw line. The Mountaineers' free throw numbers reflected a 15-of-17 performance.
Plenty of spectacular individual efforts highlighted by Promergers' game-high 19 points. The senior forwards' total is the highest on the season versus a league opponent, and was two shy from his season-best at Sul Ross State.
Achieving a career-high 17 points was sophomore Victor Garate (Austin, Texas), and was his second double figure shooting performance on the campaign. The guard racked up five field goals in six attempts and very impressively matched that showing from the three-point arc.
Rounding out the quartet of double-digit scorers for Dallas were Wyatt with 16 and sophomore Michael Sarrat with 14.
Senior Kym Malone (Richardson, Texas) extended his weekend ranking atop of the SCAC in assists by dishing out a season and career-high 10 on Friday.
Schreiner was led by Wes Miller with 14 points, while Steven Guerrero and Hollis Robinson contributed 12 and 11, respectively. The Mountaineers held a 29-22 advantage on the rebounding too. SU posted 33 bench points.
STAT OF THE GAME
Dallas limited the Maroon and White to shooting 33.3-percent in completed treys for the evening affair. The home team mesmerized the crowd with a 71.4 display. Matching that effect on the stats was 20 assists, which marked a team-most this season. UD outscored the Mountaineers 53-34 in the second stanza.
UP NEXT
Dallas concludes its last road game of the regular season at Trinity University tomorrow. Tip-off is at 6 p.m.