Men's Basketball Comes Up Just Short vs St. Thomas

HOUSTON, Texas - The University of Dallas men's basketball team lost their conference match with the University of St. Thomas 74-70 on Saturday.  They fall to 4-8 overall on the year and are still searching for their first conference win at 0-5.

Dallas went 4-of-4 from the field in the first three minutes of the game, but the Celts were right there with them holding onto an early 10-8 lead.  St. Thomas gradually built on that lead, thought Dallas was able to keep themselves within striking distance.

The Celts led by as many as 10 points, and Dallas got the lead down to six with less than a minute left in the first half, but the Celts made it a nine point game with a three-pointer on their final possession to take a 43-34 lead into halftime.

As a team, the Crusaders were solid in the first half, shooting 51.9% from the field, 37.5% from three, and were 3-of-4 from the free throw line.  The Celts had the advantage in volume of shots, as well as the better turnover ratio.

The Crusaders defense upped their game in the second half and managed to keep their foot on the gas offensively as well.  They tied the game up at 57-57 with nine minutes remaining, and from there it was anybody's game. 

There were four lead changes over the next six minutes, with taking their biggest lead of the night at 67-62  with five and half minutes left in the game.  The Celts reclaimed the lead at 71-69 on a pair of free throws with two and half minutes remaining.

Down by just one point with 34 seconds, it was a mad scramble by Dallas to tie the game, but they missed a pair of shots and the Celts were able to put away the game from the free throw line.

Letrell Toussaint led the team in scoring for the second straight night, going 8-of-13 from the field for 18 points with five rebounds.  Jack Boyle was 7-of-9 from the field with 16 points and 11 rebounds for his eighth double-double of the season, and Johnny Olmsted provided 12 points in 20 minutes off the bench.

Up Next

The Crusaders are back at home next weekend to resume conference play.  They will host Trinity at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 6 to kick-off the new year.