2nd Half difference for Crusaders on Saturday against Pacific Lutheran
TACOMA, Wash. – The University of Dallas men's basketball team (1-4) fell 76-66 on Saturday night to Pacific Lutheran University (4-2), who hosted the PLU Thanksgiving Tournament. Dallas dropped both games in the two-day event and have lost four straight to close a 1-4 road trip that started the campaign.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Both teams couldn't get on the board for nearly two minutes as UD's Darrius Colvin (Waco, Texas) got a three-pointer to start the game. It was an early run for the Crusaders as Prince Giadolor (Rockwall, Texas) followed with a layup to give his team the first five points, which started an eventual 12-2 run. Michael Sarrat (Colleyville, Texas) capped the outburst with a three of his own four minutes since the jump ball.
The Lutes maneuvered back in a little over a minute later with Dylan Foreman going 1-of-2 from the line. He missed the second but teammate Garth West grabbed an offensive board and put-back to make it 12-5. Dallas did not get its next points until a Giadolor field goal followed the home team's inside shot that had nipped the deficit. Giadolor's shot increased the edge back to seven (14-7).
Two treys by Pacific Lutheran erased the gaps just beneath halfway in the stanza. Tyson Birrer was able to drain both triples with his first coming at 11:11 and reducing the board to 16-15. After UD's Tom Kaiser (Nashville, Tenn.) hit a layup at 10:22, Birrer was good from downtown to knot it all at 18. The Crusaders withstood the scoring stretch and never trailed in the first. Solomon Berezin (League City, Texas) made a jumper and Logan Fruhwith (Waynesville, Ohio) etched his only points of the night on a field goal and later going 1-of-2 at the line. His second make of two from the charity stripe pushed UD up 23-18 with 5:27 remaining until intermission.
It was nearly four minutes since the Lutes had tied the score at 18, that they scored again on a jump shot by Brandon Lester. Foreman hit a trifecta with just above three minutes to trail by one (26-25). UD's Kaiser was good on an old fashion three-point play with 2:28 left for the final points of the half. The two and a half minute drought haunted the guests as PLU tied things 29-29 at the horn.
Again the first minute witnessed both sides go without points until Giadolor broke the dry spell on the Crusaders side with a jumper. Lorenzo Gonzalez (San Antonio, Texas) hit back-to-back UD layups to keep the narrow edge at four.
Pacific Lutheran regained the advantage on a three by Kyle Sawtell with 16:14 minutes displayed and never trailed beyond that juncture. Garth started a string of 10 unanswered points and Lester's three opened the greatest edge of the game by seven at that moment for the home squad. Tom Kaiser's layup at 15:10 was the lone UD points in that 13-2 scoring swing. Rory MacCallum (Golden, Colo.) tried over the next two minutes to keep the Crusaders within a pair of three-point field goals, but the Lutes were able to go for a 47-37 second half and secure the win on its own floor. PLU led by as many as 14 with 6:53 remaining.
INSIDE THE BOXSCORE
- A trio of players tied 11 points for team-highs. Among this unit was: Colvin, Sarrat, and Kaiser.
- Colvin earned his first double-double of the season and second of his career. The sophomore recorded his other by tying his career-best 11 rebounds. That board total was a team-high, too.
- Sarrat shot 4-for-6 from the floor and 3-for-4 beyond the three-point arc. Kaiser contributed a season-high eight rebounds.
- MacCallum added nine points from the bench and Giadolor had eight. He dished three assists to tie Gonzalez with as many. Giadolor and Colvin earned three steals apiece as part of the team's nine.
- Dallas shot 40.9 percent (27-66) field goals and 27.8 (5-18) in three-point field goals. It went 7-for-16 shooting (43.8 percent) at the line.
- The Crusaders won the turnover battle both contests in the classic by forcing 17 compared to committing 14. This helped create a 16-12 advantage for the Navy and White on points off miscues.
- The Lutes shot 41.5 percent (27-65) from the floor and 34.8 percent (8-23) from three. They hit 14-for-20 (70 percent) at the charity stripe. PLU earned a 49-39 advantage on the boards and had a 10-7 edge in second chance points. The home team also led 8-4 on fastbreak points.
- Sawtell highlighted all individuals with 18 points. Jared Christy had a monster game on the glass with 19 total and 10 points for a double-double. Lester tossed in 14 points and Birrer rounded out the double-digit scoring quartet with 10 of his own.
UP NEXT
Dallas will be home for the first time this season on Thursday, December 1. Tip-off against Southwestern Adventist University is expected around 8 p.m. after the women's game between the same programs is completed.