Senior Day a Success for Men's Basketball
IRVING, Texas – The University of Dallas men's basketball team (17-8, 7-7 SCAC) wrapped up the regular season with an 83-66 win versus Austin College (7-17, 3-11 SCAC). The triumph moves Dallas to a 9-2 record at the friendly confines and locks up the No.4-Seed with the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC) coming up in the Maher Athletic Center.
UD nears history with its second highest overall winning mark 17 overall, and completed its second-best league play results at 7-7. In the 2012-13 campaign, the Crusaders remain having bested the current display with an 8-7 effort.
Prior to the contest, the Dallas men's basketball team recognized five players who have been great members of the program the past four years. This quintet of guys includes: Blaine Blackburn (Midlothian, Texas), Kym Malone (Richardson, Texas), Mark Promberger (Phoenix, Ariz.), Zach Royal (Chandler, Ariz.), and Aaron Wyatt (Frisco, Texas).
Blackburn got the scoreboard lit up on the home squad's side first with a three-pointer in the first possession for the Navy and White. It would be a back-and-forth battle as the Roos' claimed its first edge a little over four minutes into the affair off a jumper from Austin Freet.
Despite being down seven with 13:55, the Crusaders went on an 8-1 run to erase the deficit and keep the game tight.
After a few more baskets were traded, Malone's layup with 5:53 until the break lifted the Navy and White to its final advantage of the contest. The score on the point guard's basket put UD in front 25-24.
A 12-8 stretch closed the stanza with Dallas ahead.
The momentum remained in the home squad's favor with the edge being pushed to nine the first four minutes. The Crusaders would outscore the Maroon and Gold 46-34 in the frame.
It was a team effort with eight of 11 players seeing the hardwood notching at least four in the point's column. All the seniors highlighted the afternoon with significant moments in the win.
Malone led the senior unit with 14 points and was second on the team in scoring. The Richardson, Texas, native dished out five assists to push his lead in the league to 116.
Blackburn claimed 11 points with a team-high, three trifectas. Promberger nearly cracked a double figure scoring performance with nine and Wyatt matched eight points with rebounds. His amount of boards contributed to a team-high, as Dallas outdid the Roos' 36-27 on the glass.
Royal chipped in two boards and two assists in a start, and helped cap a big performance on the regular season by dishing a big kick-out to Blackburn in the corner for a trey.
It wasn't just a big day for the seniors, as sophomore Tom Kaiser (Nashville, Tenn.) etched a season-high 18 points to lead all scorers in the game. Fellow teammate Lorenzo Gonzalez (San Antonio, Texas) rounded out a quartet of double-digit scorers with 10. Freshman Anthony Johnson (Texas City, Texas) added nine points.
Cedric Hudson and Brian Baehl cracked double figure performances with 14 and 12 points, respectively, for AC.
STAT OF GAME
The team's combined to be called for 37 team fouls in the contest, with Dallas getting whistled for 19. Each went to the charity stripe 20 times, with the home squad sinking 18 total.
UPCOMING SCHEDULE
Dallas turns its focus to the SCAC Tournament on Feb. 27-March 1 with the Maher Athletic Center being the site venue this year. No. 4-Seed UD will face the No.5-Seed Colorado College on Friday at 5 p.m.
The winner will face top seeded Texas Lutheran University on Feb. 28.
For more details, check back at www.udallasathletics.com and www.scacsports.com.
