Men's Basketball Earns Gutsy Win at Home Against McMurry

SEGUIN, Texas -- A late second chance basket by Teddy Tapken (Austin/Lake Travis) and Xavier Phillips (Austin/Dripping Springs) hit a clutch free throw as a physical battle came down to the wire with Texas Lutheran (6-12, 4-5 SCAC) defeating McMurry (3-13, 1-6 SCAC) 87-86 Friday night at Memorial Gymnasium.

Neither team could pull away early as it stayed a one possession game throughout the first ten-plus minutes of action. TLU would lead by as many as four points and carry a 35-33 lead into the locker room.

Easton Allen (New Braunfels/Marion) led Texas Lutheran with ten points over the first 20 minutes with Trey Blackmore (San Antonio/Cole) adding nine points.

It was a physical game throughout, especially in a second half that saw the teams combine for 22 fouls.

TLU led by as many as eight points early in the second half, but the two teams would trade blows throughout the final 13 minutes as the teams tied 11 times and had 18 lead changes.

Teddy Tapken converted a huge second chance basket to put TLU up 82-81 with 2:51 remaining. After falling behind four points, a steal and two made free throws by Xavier Phillips cut the War Hawks lead in half before yet another second chance layup from Tapken tied the game at 86 with 36 seconds left. Phillips would draw a foul with nine seconds remaining and convert one of two from at the charity stripe before the Bulldogs would bear down to prevent a buzzer beater from the War Hawks in the final possession to hold on for their fourth conference victory of the season.

Four Bulldogs scored in double-figures led by Xavier Phillips who scored 24 points, including 19 points in the second half. Phillips finished 7-of-11 from the field and 8-of-10 from the line. Easton Allen recorded his first double-double of the season with 16 points and 10 rebounds while Trey Blackmore added 16 points of his own in addition to a team-high four assists. Isaac Orozco (Helotes/O'Connor) added a season-high 13 points.

The Bulldogs are back in action on Saturday, February 1, when they host Concordia (TX). Tip-off is set for 6 PM. The game will be streamed on TLU+. All streaming and live stats links will be available on tlubulldogs.com.