Bulldogs Fall at Concordia (TX), 86-80

AUSTIN, Texas -- Texas Lutheran men's basketball battled from start to finish on the road but came up short Thursday evening at Concordia (TX), 86-80.

The Bulldogs (7-5, 3-1 SCAC) trailed by as many as 12 points in the second half but fought back to cut Concordia's lead all the way down to just one point.

Austin native, junior Xavier Phillips, (Austin/Dripping Springs) and senior Mason Green (San Marcos/San Marcos) led the Bulldogs with 14 points each. Green would turn in his fourth double-double of the season - stuffing the stat sheet with 12 rebounds, four assists, two steals, and two blocks. DJ Ardoin (Houston/Pearland), Mason Wallace (San Antonio/Judson), and Riley Fornerette (Surprise, AZ/Dysart) all joined Phillips and Green in double figures. Fornerette, alongside Cesar Reyes (Sabinal/Sabinal), would each finish with a team and career-high five assists on the evening.

Texas Lutheran trailed by one at halftime before Concordia would stretch out to an eight point lead in the early moments of the second half, controlling the lead for all but seven seconds of the final period.

The Tornados lead would inch to 12 points with 11:41 remaining that gave Concordia its largest lead of the contest at 62-50.

Texas Lutheran immediately responded with a 16-5 run - powered by seven points from DJ Ardoin - to cut the deficit to just one point. The Bulldogs would miss four free throws and turn the ball over over the two minutes that followed in a one-possession game.

Concordia capitalized on Texas Lutheran's missed opportunities to extend their lead to seven points with four minutes remaining. Texas Lutheran would never come closer than four points in the closing minutes.

Concordia shot 44.8 percent from the field, including 51.5 percent in the second half, in comparison to Texas Lutheran's 38.8 shooting percentage. The Tornados would also maintain a 13-2 advantage in second chance points and 44-30 advantage in points in the paint.

Up next, Texas Lutheran returns to Seguin for one final home non-conference contest before entering the heart of SCAC play - taking on Howard Payne on Saturday, New Year's Eve. Tip-off is set for 2 PM at Memorial Gymnasium. All streaming and live stats links can be found on tlubulldogs.com.