Seniors help Clinch OT Victory on Sunday over Hendrix College
IRVING, Texas – For the second time in three games, the University of Dallas men's basketball team prevailed in extra regulation to complete a 2-1 home stand. Dallas (9-16) concludes the 2016-17 campaign similarly to how it began with an overtime victory against Hendrix College (11-14). The Crusaders moved to 3-1 on the year in overtime contests after a 101-98 final on Sunday. The triple-digit total was the third time this season UD has eclipsed the mark and are unblemished in those games.
Dallas improved to 5-0 against non-conference teams at the Maher Center this season and 7-4 overall in such matchups. The Crusaders have won their last three games to go beyond 40 minutes at home and have won their last three in a row against Hendrix. UD's active head-to-head wins against the Warriors at the Maher Center is now four, with three coming in the last three years.
All four seniors for the Crusaders were contributors in this victory. The quartet of Victor Garate (Austin, Texas), Michael Sarrat (Colleyville, Texas), Lorenzo Gonzalez (San Antonio, Texas), and Tom Kaiser (Nashville, Tenn.) were all recognized before the tip. During halftime, the seniors honored teammate, Cedric Ranaivo (Paris, France), for being part of the squad. He played his first two seasons before an injury sidelined him.
NOTABLE STATISTICS
(Individual Notes)
- For the 4th time this year, Darrius Colvin (Waco, Texas) poured a career-high 25 points. After going 11-for-18 Saturday, the sophomore shot 10-of-19 and added a double-double (4th of season) with a game-high 11 rebounds.
- Sarrat closed his career with a season-best 23 points (8-12) with his 3rd game to surpass 20 points (2 were vs. Hendrix). He was two shy from his personal best last season at Centenary College.
- Kaiser followed with 16 points and seven boards. Garate was the other senior to reach double figures with 11 points on the strength of a trio of threes. He dished five assists for a career-best.
- Lorenzo Gonzalez (San Antonio, Texas) was the final senior and cemented himself 7th all-time with 330 career assists. It was his 5th game to dish seven or more as the point guard also collected seven points.
- Head Coach Jarred Samples earned his 95th career win at Dallas.
- The Warriors were led with two players of their own also downing 25 and 23 points by Aaron Steele and Gearen Littlefield. Littlefield added a team-high eight rebounds.
- Bryce Parker (12), Bryce Batchelor (12), and Preston Smith (10) completed the quintet of players to reach double figures in points.
(Team Notes)
-Both teams shot right at 50 percent in the game with Dallas making at least 40 for the 2nd time this week and 3rd overall. Hendrix had two extra three-point field goals (10-27) compared to UD (8-26).
- Overall there were 43 fouls called with Hendrix having an extra one, but it shot 81.3 percent (26-32) to the home team's 13-for-20 (65%).
- Dallas shared the ball well for 24 assists (3rd highest on year), while the opposition made 19 assists. Batchelor (6), Jacob Link (5), and Smith (3) combined for 14
- The home squad turned the ball over half as much (16-8) as Hendrix and boasted a 19-6 edge in points from miscues.
- The Warriors were able to garner more 2nd Chance Points 14-4 and Bench points 49-19.
HOW IT HAPPENED
It was a shootout quickly in the first half with both teams shooting at least 60 percent by intermission. The seniors go involved early as Kaiser knotted the contest with UD's first points of the game a minute in. Colvin made it 4-2 and then after a Hendrix basket, Sarrat scored a fastbreak layup and made the and-one to bring the score at 7-4. Garate then found the bottom of the net for his first three-pointer in front of the home bench to make it 10-6. Gonzalez had already found the stat column with an assists on each of the last pair of Dallas field goals.
The guests were keeping pace, but then Colvin picked up five minutes into the half from where he concluded Saturday's last three-minute surge of 13 points. He rattled off three-of-four Crusader baskets to keep the scoring going for them. Meanwhile the Warriors had Steele countering him with an impressive first stanza of his own. The team's leading scorer hit two treys with an old fashioned three-point play between them to count nine points. After a Pakrer jumper at 11:41 made it 24-18, Steele sank another jumper. Smith's two free throw at 10:30 opened the Warriors' largest advantage of the game by 10.
Kaiser scored the next pair of field goals in a row to keep UD within striking distance. The Crusaders eventually got within three points (31-28) three minutes later, but Steele continued his torrid pace with his fourth trifecta. A pair of free throws after that play kept the margin at six and wrapped up his 19 first half points. Steele missed his first jumper of the game (from 3) at 6:12. He was 6-of-6 (4-4 3-PT FG) and 2-for-2 at the line.
After that rare off the mark shot at the time, Prince Giadolor (Rockwall, Texas) went to work off the bench with all six of his points coming in a row. His final basket lifted UD to a 41-38 lead with four and a half minutes. Colvin then gained control with consecutive triples to make it a five-point edge (47-42). Colvin dialed four straight field goals in a row to count for 10-of-18 points in the frame. A trey by Sarrat made it 57-50 at halftime and is the second highest amount of points scored in the first 20-minute span this year. The highest was that obscure track race with Rhodes College (71-51).
Hendrix nipped the gap over the first two minutes making it 61-60. Sarrat and Colvin responded with jumpers to extend the lead back to five, and a few moments later Colvin drained a three to make it 70-64 at 14:53. Parker countered with the first-of-two treys in a row for himself and ignited a 16-4 scoring swing on the board. The Warriors had 12 points on four plays thanks to a trio of three-pointers and two three-point plays that had a successful free throw after the harm.
Down seven (81-74) with a little under midway gone, Garate came up with a crucial three-pointer to end the surge. He added a jumper after following a Hendrix turnover to make it 81-79. About a minute later, the Warriors entered the bonus with it 7-3 on fouls. Kaiser and Rory MacCallum (Golden, Colo.) each had four fouls at that juncture. MacCallum fouled out at 7:22 and Kaiser was still sitting due to trouble with Littlefield making a three-point play at 7:21 to increase the slight edge 85-81.
It was the Crusaders that turned the tide as Ben Norton (Louisville, Ky.) entered just the third time this season. He was impactful right away earning an inside basket and drawing the harm. His free throw made it a one-point deficit, and he finished with six points in four minutes of action.
The Warriors again seemed to reclaim the momentum near the waning plays as Smith hit the 10th trey for the guests and opened a 96-91 lead with 1:24. Dallas had the last five points as three seniors went to work on the last two made field goals. Gonzalez found Garate for a trifecta and Kaiser knotted the contest with 39 ticks left on layup from Colvin.
In overtime, both strong offenses suddenly went cold as neither team scored for over three minutes. Kaiser broke the drought at 1:47 and an immediate counter by Link re-tied it at 98. The other senior and 12th all-time scorer (1,071) for UD, Sarrat, shot the go-ahead layup and was fouled for a three-point play opportunity with barely under a minute left (56 seconds). Having just made 200 career free throws, the guard hit 201 to cap an 83.4 percent career at the stripe and wrap up the final score. Each team missed a three-point shot on the remaining three plays, including Steele's potential tying shot missing from just in front of halfcourt in the middle of the floor.
