@UDallasMBB fends-off Austin College, 76-69
IRVING, Texas - The University of Dallas men's basketball team (7-6, 1-2 SCAC) triumphed 76-69 over Austin College (4-7, 0-2 SCAC) on Sunday afternoon at the Maher Athletic Center.
The Crusaders trailed 27-19 in the first-half, but used an 11-2 run to overtake their counterpart for good.
Accomplishing this fete with 3:22 to go in the initial period, head coach Jarred Samples' squad then took a 38-35 advantage into halftime.
Dallas boasted a game-high 13-point (55-42) lead, with 9:55 remaining in the second-half.
The pesky Roos, however, did not back down. They responded with an 18-7 run to pull within two points (62-60) of knotting the score, with 4:59 left in the contest.
Dallas -- with 3:09 to go in the second-half -- held a 68-60 lead, following a converted jumper from Ross Davidson (Dana Point, Calif.).
The senior forward/center tallied a double-double as he ended with a game-high 20 points and 12 rebounds (four offensive). Davidson also added two steals and an assist in 34 minutes on the court.
With 20 seconds showing, Austin Freet sank the front-end of a pair of free throws to pull Austin College again within two points (71-69) in the ebb-and-flow affair.
The Crusaders went on to claim a seven-point victory, and had five student-athletes enter double-figure scoring.
Junior guards Kym Malone (Richardson, Texas) and Blaine Blackburn totalled 14 and 12 points, respectively. Malone deposited 10-of-12 from the free-throw line. Senior guard Nate Wilson (Fairbanks, Alaska) and junior forward Aaron Wyatt (Frisco, Texas) had 10 points apiece. Wyatt also grabbed a game-high 12 rebounds (five offensive) to achieve a double-double.
Ransom Okpala managed a team-high 19 points, while his teammate Jeremy Swisher had 14 for Austin College.
The navy and white outrebounded the Roos (51-36), and boasted positive margins in second-chance points (10-5) and bench points (24-19).
Next opponent:
Dallas faces Texas Lutheran University (5-8, 0-3 SCAC) in a 6 p.m. tip-off on Friday in Seguin, Texas.