Bulldogs Smother Trinity, Roll to 79-66 Win

SAN ANTONIO, Texas -- #RV Texas Lutheran engaged a Trinity squad averaging 77.6 points (ranking 16th nationally) and just over seven three pointers per game on their home court, Calgaard Gymnasium, in San Antonio on Friday.

But on Friday, it was the Bulldogs prowess at the other end of the court that carried the team to their 18th win of the season, completing the regular season series sweep of the Tigers for the first time in program history.

TLU took a bite out of the Tigers in a 79-66 win before a raucous Trinity crowd. The Bulldogs outscored their longtime rivals by 10 points in the second half with their 66 point total being one of their lowest point totals of the season. The win is the first in Calgaard Gymnasium for TLU since 2016.

The Bulldogs (18-3, 12-1 SCAC) continue to sit in first place in the SCAC Gold Division entering the final three games of the regular season.

The Bulldogs shot 43.8 percent (32-of-73) from the field and 6-of-20 from deep.

Senior Kailee Mulkey (New Braunfels/New Braunfels) and freshman Zaria Solis (Burnet/Burnet) led the Bulldogs with 17 points and nine rebounds each, marking new career-highs for Solis. Mulkey added a team-high four steals, bringing her within three steals of becoming the program's all-time leader in the category in TLU's NCAA history. With her nine rebounds, Mulkey became just the sixth Bulldog to reach the 500 career rebound mark and joins Kristen Lye and Courtney Ard as the only Bulldogs in the program's NCAA history to score over 1,000 points and grab over 500 rebounds. Angelina Sotelo (San Marcos/San Marcos) netted 12 points in addition to four rebounds, three steals, and a game and career-high eight assists. Lauren Sansano (San Antonio/FEAST), who made her return to the Bulldogs lineup after missing three games due to illness, joined the Bulldogs trio in double figures with 11 points and six assists off the bench for TLU.

Texas Lutheran trailed early as the host Tigers carried a 21-16 lead into the second quarter. The Bulldogs would take the momentum in the second quarter and never relinquish it for the remainder of the game. An 11-0 run in the second quarter gave Texas Lutheran their first substantial lead of the game. The Bulldogs entered the locker room with a slim 40-37 lead after outscoring the Tigers 24-16 in the second period. Mulkey led the Bulldogs with 13 points in the half.

TLU outscored the Tigers 21-16 in the third and carried momentum into the final period.

Zaria Solis carried the Bulldogs through the fourth, scoring nine of their 18 points in the period while TLU limited the Tigers to 13 points on 25 percent shooting in the final period.

Texas Lutheran forced 22 Trinity turnovers on the night, one of their highest totals of the season.

Up next, TLU travels to Kerrville on Saturday, Feb, 15, to take on the Schreiner Mountaineers ast they continue their final four-game road trip of the regular season. Tip-off is set for 4 PM. All streaming and live stats links will be available on tlubulldogs.com.