Men's Basketball Defeats Southwestern
February 2, 2024
IRVING, Texas - The University of Dallas men's basketball team won their conference matchup against Southwestern University 78-69 on Friday, improving to 9-12 overall on the year and 6-7 in conference play.
Dallas got off to a slow start, going 2-of-10 from the field and trailing the Pirates 10-6 in the first six minutes of the game. The Crusaders were much better the rest of the way, shooting at a 45% clip the remainder of the first half and went into halftime with a three-point lead intact.
Zac Olmsted and Thomas Fleming (pictured) were the spark plugs on offense for Dallas, each scoring 10 points in the first half. The pair combined to go 5-of-9 from beyond the arc, as Dallas shot 40% from the three in the first half.
Though he struggled on offense, Jack Boyle was a dominant presence on defense, racking up five blocks and five defensive rebounds in the first half.
Dallas sank a pair of buckets to get things going in the first minute of the second half, forcing an early timeout by Southwestern. The Pirates came out of the timeout and promptly went on a 12-4 run to take a 45-42 lead with 14 minutes left to play.
It didn't take long for the Crusaders to bounce back and reclaim the lead for what would be the final lead change of the game. It was far from a walk in the park for Dallas, as the Pirates cut the deficit down to just one point with under five minutes to play, but the Crusaders did just enough in the final minutes to close out the game.
The Crusaders had five players with double-digit points: Marcus Juarez (10), Zac Olmsted (13), Kelton Coleman (14), Boyle (14), and Fleming (17). Juarez was one board away from a double-double and also notched two blocks on the night.
Boyle snagged 13 rebounds to record a double-double and also set a new personal best with seven blocks on the night.
Fleming set new personal bests in points, blocks (1), field goals (6), and three-pointers (4).
Up Next
The Crusaders will host Texas Lutheran tomorrow evening, Feb. 3 at 4:00 pm.