Bulldogs Crush Crusaders, 94-79

SEGUIN, Texas -- Semaj Edwards (Lanham, MD/Oak Hill Academy) recorded his first career double-double and Xavier Phillips (Austin/Dripping Springs) added 19 points off the bench as the Texas Lutheran men's basketball team beat the Dallas Crusaders, 94-79, at Memorial Gymnasium Saturday evening.

The Bulldogs (3-11, 2-3 SCAC) had six players in double figures, led by Edwards, who secured a double-double with 20 points and a career-high 11 rebounds. Edwards would record 16 points and 11 rebounds in the second half alone. Phillips tacked on 19 points, five rebounds, and two assists and LaDarius King (Austin/St. Stephen's Episcopal) chipped in with 13 points, four rebounds, and a team-high four assists. Easton Allen (New Braunfels/Marion) made a career-high 11 free throws for all 11 of his points to go along with seven rebounds Saturday.

Texas Lutheran collected 51 rebounds in Saturday's game compared to Dallas's 35, led by Edwards's eleven. The Bulldogs put in work on the offensive glass, turning 20 offensive rebounds into 18 second chance points.

Texas Lutheran trailed for all but 1:27 of the first half as the Crusaders led by as many as 13 points in the first half and would carry a 41-37 lead into halftime. The Bulldogs would close the half on a 11-2 run to cut into the Dallas lead.

Texas Lutheran came out in the second half not only shooting better, but taking advantage of opportunities at the free throw line - shooting 20-of-22 from the line in the second half. TLU would tie the game 48-all with 13 minutes remaining before outscoring the Crusaders 31-14 over the next ten minutes off game to take their largest lead of the night at 79-62. The Bulldogs cruised the rest of the way - sinking 13 free throws in the final three minutes of action. The Bulldogs finished the game shooting 37.5% (27-of-72) and made 9-of-22 three-pointers (40.9%). TLU was 31-of-37 from the free throw line (83.8%) in a game that saw the two teams combine for 51 fouls and 66 free throws.

Texas Lutheran will be back in action Friday, Jan. 5, as they travel to Shreveport, Louisiana, to begin their three-week, five-game road trip at Centenary for their first game of the 2024 calendar year. Tip-off is set for 5:30 PM. All streaming and live stats links will be available on tlubulldogs.com.