Men's Basketball tips-off season with 81-54 road defeat to the University of Texas-Dallas; Bruffey debuts with 11 points to lead Crusader scorers
RICHARDSON, Texas - The University of Dallas (Dallas) mens' basketball team dropped their 2011-12 season-opener on Tuesday evening, 81-54, to the University of Texas-Dallas (UTD).
6-foot-5 junior-transfer forward Tanner Bruffey (Lubbock, Texas/Home School) gave Dallas (0-1) the early lead and its first points of the season with a made 3-pointer roughly a minute into the contest.
Foul trouble limited Bruffey's night to just 11-minutes of play. He finished with a team-high 11 points on 3-of-8 shooting from the field, netting 3-of-5 from distance. Bruffey sank both of his free-throw attempts before fouling out with 7:54 remaining in the second half.
After some back-and-forth, UTD (1-0) seized the lead for good with 12:47 to go in the first half, as a Carter Nash layup put the Comets up 13-12. UTD's lead ballooned to as many as 18 points in the opening half and was 14 entering halftime. The first half's stat-line saw Dallas shoot 40 percent (10-of-25) from the field, as opposed to UTD's 54.2 percent (13-of-24). Meanwhile, Dallas was 1-of-2 and UTD 12-of-18 from the charity-stripe in the first half.
6-foot-5 freshman forward Aaron Wyatt (Frisco, Texas/Prestonwood Christian Academy) trimmed UTD's lead to 13 points with a made free throw to begin second-half scoring at the 18:54 mark. Wyatt finished with three points on the game, going 1-of-3 from the field and 1-of-2 from the free-throw line in 29-minutes of action. He also amassed six rebounds (two offensive), two assists and a steal.
UTD proved too much down the stretch for Dallas. The Comets grew their lead to as many as 28 points, and ended the game with a 27-point victory. When the final buzzer sounded, UTD held a 37-25 rebounding advantage.
In the second half, UTD shot 48 percent (12-of-25) from the field and 36.4 percent (4-of-11) from 3-point range. The Comets also notched an 85.7 percent (12-of-14) success rate from the free-throw line.
Dallas was held to 29.2 percent (7-of-24) shooting from the field in the second half, netting only 23.1 percent (3-of-13) beyond the arc. The Crusaders fared better at the free-throw line in the final half, putting home 76.9 percent (10-of-13).
Of note, 5-foot-9 sophomore guard Braeton Hightower (Owasso, Okla./Owasso H.S.) also entered double-digit scoring for Dallas, recording 10 points on 2-of-7 shooting from the field, while converting on all four free-throw attempts. In addition to 2-of-4 3-point shooting, Hightower in 27-minutes of play, had a rebound, two assists and two steals.
Next opponent:
The Crusaders return to the hardwood on Friday, Nov. 18, at 8:00 p.m., versus St. Mary's University of Minnesota, as Dallas hosts the two-day "Tip-Off Classic" in the Maher Athletic Center. On Saturday at 3 p.m., Dallas will battle Howard Payne University.
Both games will be video-streamed live, via collegetvticket.com.