Men's Basketball defeats Dallas, 73-66, in SCAC Opener

IRVING, Texas -- Junior guard Xavier Phillips (Austin/Dripping Springs) posted 20 points, his third 20+ point game this season, to pace Texas Lutheran (5-3, 1-0 SCAC) to a 73-66 road victory against Dallas (2-4, 0-1 SCAC) in the 2022-23 SCAC opener Friday night.

Texas Lutheran held the Crusaders to their second lowest output of the season on 42.9% field-goal shooting, including a 4-of-13 (.308) mark from three-point range.

Phillips set a new season-high for field goals made (9-14) in his most efficient outing of the season and added four rebounds and a steal in 34 minutes. Freshman Mason Wallace (San Antonio/Judson) tallied 14 points and two blocks in 27 minutes off the bench, and sophomore Riley Fornerette (Surprise, AZ/Dysart) registered 11 points, two assists, and two steals in 20 minutes. Senior Mason Green (San Marcos/San Marcos) recorded nine points, five rebounds, and three assists in 30 minutes. Sophomore Easton Allen (New Braunfels/Marion) recorded a team and career-high 12 rebounds.

Don't jump with him ⚠️ ��‍♂️��❌ @ohgodxavier

��: @Jai_Love1 #TooLiveU | #PupsUp pic.twitter.com/rdhuMdvYrC

— TLU Men's Basketball (@TLUbasketball) December 3, 2022

The first half featured four ties and four lead changes with Texas Lutheran only leading 41 seconds in the first half. Xavier Phillips would give the Bulldogs their two brief first half leads midway through the first half following a lay up and three-pointer, giving the Bulldogs a two-point lead with 7:03 remaining in the half. Texas Lutheran would trail 35-33 at the break.

The two teams went back and forth to start the second half before an 8-0 TLU run gave TLU a six-point lead entering the 11:47 media timeout. Texas Lutheran built their lead up to a 12-point cushion with six minutes remaining and the Crusaders would never come closer than five points for the remainder of the game.

Texas Lutheran returns to the court tomorrow (Dec. 3) as they travel to Sherman for the second game of their SCAC opening back-to-back as they face the 'Roos of Austin College. Tip-off is set for 6 PM. All streaming and live stats links will be available on tlubulldogs.com.

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