Phillips, Defense Boost Bulldogs Past Dallas
| Final | 1 | 2 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Texas Lutheran | 41 | 49 | 90 |
|
Dallas | 44 | 41 | 85 |
IRVING, TX -- Sophomore Xavier Phillips (Austin/Dripping Springs) finished with 21 points, five rebounds, two assists, three steals, and a block as Texas Lutheran defeated University of Dallas, 90-85, on the road in a pivotal conference matchup Friday night.
The senior duo of Sebastian Andrade (El Paso/Americas) and Jamir Mason (Pearland/St. Thomas Episcopal) continued their impressive stretch of games combining for 33 points and 16 rebounds as the Bulldogs (8-13, 6-7 SCAC) won their second game in a row.
University of Dallas (7-14, 5-8 SCAC) scored the first basket of the game in what began as a back-and-forth contest before the Bulldogs went on a 12-0 run via a flurry of threes to advance to a 21-10 lead with 13 minutes remaining in the half. That lead would not last for long in what made for an even contest throughout with neither team garnering an expansive lead.
Xavier Phillips would lead the Bulldogs with 14 points in the first half, but the Bulldogs would head into the locker room down 44-41 at halftime.
The two teams would fail to gain any sort of separation in the beginning of the second half before a 7-1 run gave the Bulldogs a 68-59 advantage with 8:40 remaining. The Crusaders would never come closer than four points for the remainder of the game as free throws from Xavier Phillips and Sebastian Andrade sealed the game for Texas Lutheran.
TLU shot 50% from the field in the second half and outscored Dallas 49-41 in the final period. Texas Lutheran would force 13 turnovers that would turn into 15 Bulldogs points. The Bulldogs conclude their brutal five road games in 11 days stretch with a 3-2 record. Texas Lutheran now moves into a tie for fourth place heading into the final week of the regular season that will see the Bulldogs close the season with a three-game homestand.
The Bulldogs take a three-day rest before hosting St. Thomas on Tuesday, February 15th at Memorial Gymnasium. Tip-off is currently set for 5:30 PM. All streaming and stat links can be found on tlubulldogs.com.