Men's Basketball takes down Southwestern Adventist University in final seconds

IRVING, Texas - The University of Dallas men's basketball team (3-19) was triumphant on Tuesday at thet Maher Athletic Center over the Southwestern Adventist University Knights, 78-76.

It became evident in the first-half that Ross Davidson (San Juan Capistrano, Calif./JSerra Catholic H.S.) was keyed into the game and ready to lead his team to victory, as the Crusader freshman forward talliled 19 points in the opening period. He was in quite a battle with Soutwestern Adventist's Eddie Jackson in terms of recording the game-high scoring title.

Jackson finished the game with 46 points on 15-of-35 shooting from the field, including sinking 7-of-21 from three-point land, and 9-of-11 from the free throw line. Though Davidson didn't match Jackson's impressive point total, he did net a team-high 33 points on 13-of-21 shooting from the field, including a 7-of-10 night from the charity stripe. Davidson also grabbed 12 rebounds to finish with a double-double in the winning effort.

At halftime, the score was knotted at 31-31. Dallas in the initial period shot 31.6 percent (12-of-38), while the Knights shot 44 percent (11-of-25) in the first half.

The Knights seized an early second-half lead, but freshman guard Braeton Hightower (Sperry, Okla./Owasso H.S.) hit a three-pointer at the 14:03 mark of the final period to give Dallas a one-point advantage.

After some back-and-forth, Southwestern Adventist's Richard Davis drilled a three-ball at the 9:43 mark to give the Knights a nine-point lead -- their biggest lead of the game.

The Crusaders, a team on a mission, were able to battle back within striking distance after several nice offensive possessions, fed through Davidson in the post. With five minutes remaining in the contest, Dallas grabbed the lead with a made trifecta from Barrett Brown (Phoenix, Ariz./Mountain Pointe H.S.).

The pestery Knights wouldn't go away, however, as Michael Halsell sank a jumper to capture the lead for Southwestern Adventist, just seconds after Brown's field goal.

Senior guard Joe Edison (Tulsa, Okla./Metro Christian Academy) hit some big shots down the stretch for Dallas. In fact, Edison made the home crowd erupt when he nailed a three-pointer on the Crusaders' ensuing possession, to give Dallas a two point lead.

Things started slipping away from the Crusaders in the final minutes, but Edison stepped up once again with his perimeter sharp-shooting, sinking yet another three-pointer, which put Dallas up by a single point.

Southwestern Adventist's Jackson evened the score with a three-point play with only 35 seconds remaining in the game. With a chance to play hero, Brown received the ball in the lane after Dallas milked some clock, wanting to leave little time for the Knights to march up the floor. He put home a floater with 6 seconds remaining to give Dallas the two point win.

Up next for Dallas, the team will celebrate 'Senior Night', as Arlington Baptist College rolls into the Mahe Athletic Center on Thursday, Feb. 17, at 7:00 p.m.