Triple-Digit Output lifts Men's Basketball past Patriots on Thursday
IRVING, Texas – The University of Dallas men's basketball team (16-8) broke the century mark for the first time in over a decade, topping Arlington Baptist College (13-13) 107-93 on Thursday night. Dallas last broke 100 points during the 2000 campaign, with a 122-73 result on Dec. 16 against St. Joesph's College.
The team season-high scoring output lifted the Navy and White to an 8-2 mark at the Maher Athletic Center with one contest remaining versus Austin College on Saturday. UD has prevailed in six of its last eight since dropping a season-worst, three in a row at the middle of January.
The Crusaders poured a season-most 56 points in the first stanza to open a 22-point advantage at halftime. Dallas shot 56.4-percent from the floor, and 50-percent from beyond the three-point arch. This compared to the Patriots 31.1-percent field goal rate and 21.4 clip from downtown.
After the first 16 points were exchanged throughout the first portion of the opening frame, the Navy and White tore off with seven unanswered buckets. After a steal and layup created by freshman Emmanuel Calton (Keller, Texas), the home squad would pose the first double-digit lead of the affair.
Since the last tie in the contest, Dallas would rattle off a 27-10 run.
The largest advantage for the Crusaders would occur in the second half with 11:05 left in regulation. The gap at the time favored UD by 29 points.
Senior Aaron Wyatt (Frisco, Texas) got off to a quick start, notching 12 of his game-high 18 points in the opening frame. 59 points would come from the Crusaders' reserves, with freshman Anthony Johnson (Texas City, Texas) cracking double figures in scoring with 12 to match a career-best.
Also forming the unit were sophomores Tom Kaiser (Nashville, Tenn.) performing a double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds. His amount of boards garnered set a personal high. Fellow teammate Michael Hampson (Littleton, Colo.) notched a career-high 10 points.
Sophomore Victor Garate (Austin, Texas) and Hampson each drained a trio of three-pointers, and UD connected on 11 total from behind the arch. Garate was a perfect three-of-three to display nine points.
Arlington Baptist was led by a quartet of players in double-digits with Josh Green and Patrick Howard tallying 17 points apiece. Brandon Bonner tossed in 13 and Jamie Briceno rounded the unit out with 10.
Caleb Brown garnered a team-high nine rebounds. As a squad, the Patriots attempted 54 long-range shots and pulled down 22 of their 39 boards from the offensive side of the glass.
Dallas set a season-high 51 rebounds, surpassing the mark from a couple weeks ago versus Centenary College of Louisiana by one. The Navy and White also set a new season-most in assists with 23. Senior Kym Malone dished out a team-high seven.
STAT OF THE GAME
Dallas shot 56.7-percent from the field and maintained an average greater than 50 percent most of the night; reflecting a 57.9 clip overall and 5-of-7 result in the second.
UP NEXT
Dallas concludes the regular season on Saturday, Feb. 21 versus Austin College at the Maher Athletic Center. Tip-off is slated at 4 p.m. after the women's basketball game. The affair will mark "Senior Day" for the Crusaders, and a recognition will be done prior to tip.