Men's Basketball falls to Pirates on Saturday
GEORGETOWN, Texas – It was a difficult second half for the University of Dallas men's basketball team (5-6, 1-2 SCAC) on Saturday afternoon against Southwestern University (5-9, 2-1 SCAC). The final result favored the Pirates 74-58, and the home squad outscored UD 36-27 in the latter 20 minutes.
Dallas for the second-straight game got off to a quick start, this time pouring the first six points out of the gate, before SU's Zachary Whitlock finished a layup about three minutes and a half into the action. Junior Lorenzo Gonzalez (San Antonio, Texas) answered on a trey to start a 7-0 run from there. Eventually, the Crusaders would mount their largest lead of the contest, 18-6, after junior Michael Sarrat (Colleyville, Texas) dialed a trifecta. The guests were seven-of-12 from the field during this spurt.
The Pirates chipped away immediately and would eventually tie and gain the first lead of the day on a pair of free throws from Chris Lee (26-25). Two more field goals following capped a 9-1 run for Southwestern at the time, and a 24-9 scoring span since the Navy and White opened the previous 12-point edge. With UD trailing 30-27, a jumper by sophomore Solomon Berezin (League City, Texas) and four points in a row by freshman Prince Giadolor (Rockwall, Texas), the Crusaders knotted things 31-all with 1:36 remaining in the first stanza.
However, the home squad rattled off eight unanswered to close the frame out with a 38-31 lead. The momentum out of halftime remained with the Pirates through most of the second. Dallas narrowed the gap to six (43-37) with 16:42 in the game, but SU quickly pushed the advantage back to double-digits with a 19-0 outburst. This included a trio of three-pointers within the run.
With just under 10 minutes in the second half, junior Tom Kaiser (Nashville, Tenn.) halted the streak with a layup, but the Pirates' Benjamin Stiver added a trey, and Dimitre Christie's layup opened a 67-41 difference.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
-Two players broke double-digit scoring performances for the Crusaders. Giadolor led with 15 and Gonzalez contributed 11. Kaiser garnered his second-straight double figure rebounding game with 13, and combined for 28 on the trip.
- Dallas shot 42.6 percent (23-of-54) from the field and 20 percent (3-of-15) beyond the arc. UD won the rebounding battle, 41-31, and chimed in a 12-0 advantage on second chance opportunities.
- The Pirates did force 20 turnovers while committing 13 of their own. This created a 24-16 edge in points off turnovers for SU. The home team shot 45.2 percent (28-of-62) from the floor overall, and 60 percent (12-of-20) from downtown. This included a 5-for-7 effort in the second half. Both teams were 50 percent at the free throw line.
- Connor Kim paced Southwestern with a game-high 16 points from the bench, which had 30 total. Karrey Sanders and Chris Molina added 11 and 10 points, respectively. Kim dished a team-best four assists. SU had 19 assists altogether.
UP NEXT
Dallas returns to the Maher Center for a five-game homestand, with three through next week. The season-long stretch begins on January 12 versus Dallas Christian College at 7 p.m. The Crusaders are back in conference action on Jan. 15 versus Colorado College and Jan. 16 with Centenary College.