Crusaders Beat ABU with Big First Half

ARLINGTON, Texas - The University of Dallas men's basketball team won their non-coference match with Arlington Baptist University 83-77 on Tuesday.  They improve to 5-10 overall on the year with a 3-4 record on the road.

Things couldn't have started much better for the Crusaders, as they jumped out to an early 12-2 lead, going a perfect 4-of-4 from deep in the first three minutes of the game.  Though their electric pace slowed, Dallas had a firm grasp on the game.

Save for a brief tie that lasted all of 30 seconds, the Crusaders led for the entire first half.  They went into halftime with a 20-point lead on the back of their biggest first half of the season, scoring 53 points on a 20-of-37 (54.1%) shooting performance.

Though Dallas had extended their lead to 27 points three minutes into the second half, the momentum slowly, but surely shifted in the Patriots favor as they began to mount a comeback.  Over a seven minute stretch, ABU outscored the Crusaders 18-5 and suddenly found themselves within two points of the lead.

The Crusaders fought tooth and nail the rest of the way, even after Jack Boyle and Letrell Toussaint had both fouled out of the game, and managed to never relinquish the lead.  They held on and staved off the surging Patriots to secure the win.

Boyle was up to his usual antics, leading the team with 22 points, 19 rebounds, and three blocks, as well as dishing out six assists.  Matt Holloway had himself a career night, scoring a career-best 21 points going 9-of-13 from the field.  Zac Olmsted recorded his first double-double as a Crusader with 11 points and a career-high, team leading 10 assists in the game.  Marcus Juarez was a board away from a double-double with 13 points and nine rebounds.

Up Next

The Crusaders have one more tune-up during the conference off-week.  They will host MUW on Saturday at 3:00 p.m.