Scoring Droughts sink Men's Basketball in one-point setback Friday
TACOMA, Wash. – Two free throws by Timmy Saunders lifted University of Puget Sound (3-1) to a 74-73 victory over the University of Dallas men's basketball team (1-3) on Friday. Despite both teams shooting above 50 percent from the field tonight, neither scored after Saunders' free throws with 1:06 in the game.
The Loggers erased a six-point deficit at halftime and outscored Dallas 40-33 in the final stanza. Through four contests this campaign, the Crusaders are 1-1 in decisions decided by a point. The other was a season-opening overtime triumph for the lone UD win thus far.
HOW IT HAPPENED
After Dallas made the first possession score on a three-pointer by Lorenzo Gonzalez (San Antonio, Texas), the Loggers streaked to an eight-point advantage on 11 unanswered points. Jeremiah Hobbs converted on back-to-back jumpers to cap that run. UD ended it on a layup by Prince Giadolor (Rockwall, Texas).
The Crusaders kept within distance and twice brought the gap to three on trey's by Darrius Colvin (Waco, Texas) and Gonzalez consecutively. The point guard's triple made the score 18-15. A few possessions later with around 13 minutes until the break, Giadolor scored three points in a row via the old fashion three-point play. Puget Sound turned the ball over on the next play and Colvin knotted the game on an inside field goal.
That occurred at 12:40. The next time a point was tallied was Colvin putting Dallas ahead for the first time since the opening field goal with 11:35. The forward split at the line with his second lifting UD in front. It was just over ten minutes before the next field goal was sank by either side and that was Saunders' from downtown. Jimmy Wohrer connected on a shot from downtown on the next play following a block the Loggers got.
Michael Sarrat (Colleyville, Texas) was the victim on the previous rejection, but sparked a Crusader rally on making two-of-three UD layups. The latter put Dallas up 27-26. Hobbs countered on a layup to trade leads, and then Solomon Berezin (League City, Texas) scored his second of the last three Crusader field goals to send another of the game's eventual 15 lead changes. Each side traded stretches of points before the Navy and White strung a 7-0 run to complete a 40-34 halftime edge. Wohrer scored the final field goal for UPS on a trey with 2:13 and Rory MacCallum (Golden, Colo.) scored his lone points of the night to open the unanswered stretch with a 35-34 lead.
Out of intermission, the opposition rallied with six-of-eight points marked to tie the tilt at 42-all. UD didn't relinquish the edge as Giadolor and Sarrat hit consecutive shots to re-extend the lead to four. Carlos Mancasola countered the next possession with a layup and then drew a foul to split at the line on the next one. Saunders layup displayed another lead flip. Dallas had an immediate answer on a trifecta from Colvin to exchange leads and also spelled the end of a minute and a half span with not points at 14:31 remaining.
The Loggers caught fire while a longer four minute drought loomed on UD with an eventual 60-52 difference on the scoreboard. A three by Mancasola moved their advantage to the largest of the game by nine (60-51) with 10:39 left. He also dialed a trey two possessions later for Puget Sound to keep that same distance at 63-54.
The momentum turned in the final 10 minutes as Dallas nipped the deficit and eventually went on top 69-68 on a jumper by Giadolor with 3:21. A Tom Kaiser (Nashville, Tenn.) layup three minutes prior started the 12 straight points UD gained. Giadolor capped the run on a layup on the next play to increase the slight lead to three (71-68). He missed the extra free throw on a potential three-point play and Mancasola cut the margin to a point on the next play. Dallas got its final field goal and points of the game with 2:10 by Colvin. Over the next minute, Puget Sound regained the lead for good on a layup by Kohl Meyer and Saunders' pair of heroic free throws.
In the closing minute, Dallas missed a free throw and jumper while the Loggers never got off an attempt but was forced into a pair of turnovers. UD also lost the ball twice, including the last second on a last-chance inbound play.
INSIDE THE BOXSCORE
- A quartet of Crusaders, all starters, eclipsed 10 points. Leading the unit was Giadolor with a season-high 16 (7-12 FG). Colvin also garnered a season best with 13, which matched Sarrat. Kaiser rounded out the unit with 10.
- Rebounding on both sides was beneath 30 as UD edged by two (29-27). Sarrat and Gonzalez tied all players with five boards to lead that category. Puget Sound had Mancasola and Saunders also join that group.
- Gonzalez matched his assist and steal totals with five apiece. The guard added eight points.
- Both squads had 30 points in the paint. Puget Sound was forced into 21 turnovers compared to UD's 19. This led to a 22-21 advantage for the Crusaders in points off turnovers.
- Dallas was barely outshot in field goals, 53.8 percent to 53.4 percent. The Loggers benefited from two extra threes (8) with both sides taking 16 attempts. UPS also went 10-of-12 shooting at the charity stripe, while Dallas was 5-for-11. Each team had 13 fouls.
- Puget Sound was led by Meyer with 15 points (6-11 FG). Mancasola had 13. Hobbs and Zach Miller tossed 11 and 10, respectively. Saunders notched 12 points coming off the bench.
- Meyer headlined the individuals in assists with six of the team's 19.
UP NEXT
Dallas goes against host Pacific Lutheran University on Saturday at 6 p.m. (CST).