Stephens sparks Men's Basketball with game-high 20 points; Crusaders rally on road to knock-off Southwestern Adventist University, 77-61

KEENE, Texas - The University of Dallas men's basketball team (2-6, 0-1 SCAC) defeated the Knights of Southwestern Adventist University (SWAU), 77-61, on the road Wednesday evening at Leiske Pultar Arena.

After opening the game with an early 5-0 advantage, the tide turned for the Crusaders, with SWAU scoring 13 unanswered points. Leading 13-5 at 14:25 of the first half, the Knights hit three quick 3-pointers during their run.

6-foot-5 junior forward Tanner Bruffey (Lubbock, Texas/Home School) ended Dallas' scoring drought, which lasted 2:14, with a made jumper at 14:20. Bruffey totaled six-points in the first-half, and 12 for the game. His stat-line included 6-of-10 shooting from the field, four rebounds (two offensive) and a steal in 34-minutes of work.

Despite Bruffey's basket, things continued to look bleak for the Crusaders, as the Knights continued to scortch twine from distance, netting 6-of-9 3-pointers midway through the first half, including a Molitoni Hola trifecta which gave SWAU a 22-10 lead at 11:16. 

Dallas pressed on, however, slowly chipping away at the Knights' lead. 6-foot-3 sophomore guard Joe Stephens (Flower Mound, Texas/Flower Mound H.S.) netted four free-throws in the final 4:06 of the first-half, which helped propel the Crusaders to within four-points of SWAU with 3:17 to go in the initial period.

For the game, Stephens amassed a game-high 20-points on 4-of-11 shooting from the field, and a 2-of-3 night from beyond the arc. He did most of his damage at the free-throw line, where he put home 10-of-12 attempts.

Bruffey then delivered in a big way to close out the half, sinking a 3-pointer with six-seconds remaining to tie the game at 33-33, the halftime score.

The first-half saw Dallas shoot 50-percent (11-of-22), while SWAU converted on 41.4-percent (12-of-29) from the field. Dallas was 10-of-15 from the free-throw line in the first half, and SWAU 3-of-6. The Knights finished the half with 6-of-15 shooting from 3-point land.

After the game's eighth lead-change, the Crusaders began to distance themselves from SWAU at the 13:25-mark of the second half, as Dallas proceeded to go on an 8-0 run over the course of the next 2:29.

The Knights trimmed their deficit to five-points at the 9:14-mark, but Dallas proved to be too much down the stretch, ending the contest with a game-high 12-point victory.

In the second half, Dallas shot 45.2-percent (14-of-31) from the field, as opposed to SWAU's figure of 42.9-percent (12-of-28). The Knights' 3-point success from the first-half cooled, as they went 1-of-13 in the second half. Meanwhile, Dallas converted on 5-of-10 from 3-point range in the final half.

A trio of guards salted the game away down the stretch for Dallas -- 5-foot-9 junior Drew Assinessi, 5-foot-9 sophomore Braeton Hightower (Owasso, Okla./Owasso H.S.) and 5-foot-10 freshman Kym Malone (Richardson, Texas/Richardson Berkner H.S.).

Assinessi finished with eight-points and six assists; Hightower had 12-points and four asssists; and Malone totaled nine-points and three assists.

6-foot-6 freshman forward Alex Winebarger (Greenville, S.C./St. Joseph's Catholic School) also was instrumental in Dallas' 77-61 victory. The fourth Crusader to enter double-figure scoring, Winebarger recorded 11-points on 3-of-6 shooting from the field, while netting 5-of-7 from the charity stripe. He also accumulated three rebounds (two offensive) in 20-minutes of playing time.

The Crusaders had a big night in the rebounding department, snatching 38 rebounds, a number which was twelve more than SWAU.

Next opponent:

Dallas will head to San Antonio, where they will meet Trinity University on Friday, Dec. 16, in a 7 p.m. game with the 4-4 (1-0 SCAC) Tigers.