Crusaders Drop Conference Rematch with Centenary

SHREVEPORT, La. - The University of Dallas men's basketball team lost their conference matchup with Centenary College 86-59 this evening.  They drop to 3-6 on the year and 1-1 in conference play.

Thought the early minutes were even enough, the Crusaders struggled against the Gents for much of the game.  The Gents took a 9-6 lead after two and half minutes and never looked back, as Dallas were left chasing for the remainder of the game.  Dallas kept it within single digits for a time, but would never be closer than 10 points after the Gents took  21-10 lead after six and half minutes.  The deficit hovered between 10 and 15 points for the rest of the half, Centenary taking a 46-27 lead into halftime.

There was nowhere to go but up in the second half, and the Crusaders certainly improved, particularly from three-point range where they shot 50% (3-6), but it was still a light offensive night by their standards.  They outscored Centenary 13-10 to start the second half, but couldn't put together any runs after that.  The Gents had a comfortable, but still not wholly insurmountable 18 point lead with four minutes left in the game, but the Crusaders had already scored what would be their final point with a pair of Jai Love free throws.  Dallas failed to score a single bucket in the final four minutes, allowing Centenary to see out a comfortable win.

Jai love lead the team with 21 points, 13 of them coming from the free throw line.  Letrell Toussaint added 14 points, with Marcus Juarez tallying 11 points on the night.

Up Next

The Crusaders are back at home on Sunday for a conference game with Austin College.  Tip-off is set for 1:00 p.m.