Crusaders Come From Behind to Beat Austin College

IRVING, Texas - The University of Dallas men's basketball team won their conference match with Austin College 57-55 on Tuesday.  They improve to 8-11 overall on the year and 2-8 in conference play.

Neither team was at their best to start the first half.  Through eight minutes, the Crusaders had only scored two field goals, and though Austin had the 12-4 lead, the Roos went on a nearly nine-minute scoring drought soon after.  Play was fairly even for a few minutes after that, with the Roos clinging to a narrow lead and Dallas tying the game up a couple of times.

But Dallas went cold to close out the first half, going scoreless in the final three minutes and allowing Austin to take a 13-point lead into halftime as a result.

The Crusaders came out of the locker room playing like a new team and quickly began chipping away at the lead.  They tied the game six and a half minutes into the second half, and from there it was anybody's game.  On the other side of the ball, the Crusaders were stellar, limiting the Roos to just 20 points in the half.  About the only person they couldn't stop was Joshua Joe, who accounted for more than 50% of the Roos scoring on the night, with everyone else in the Roos lineup locked down tight in the second half.

Despite playing unyielding defense, the Crusaders were not having the best shooting night.  They were still trailing with four minutes left, needing something special to get them across the finish line.  Up stepped Louis Chrisitifano Jr, who had been quiet most of the night, to knock down three three-pointers inside of two minutes to give Dallas the very late lead.  

The final minutes was a mad scramble by both teams, but the Crusaders held on for their second win in conference play.

Christifano Jr. would finish as the Crusaders leading scorer on the night with 12 points, going 4-of-7 from the field, all three-poiniters.  Letrell Toussaint grabbed 11 rebounds, and Jack Boyle nothced himself another double-double with 10 points and 16 rebounds.

Up Next

The Crusaders have one more conference match-up this week. They will host Colorado College on Friday, Jan. 27 at 7:30 p.m.