Men's Basketball Uses OT to Seal 84-79 Road Win Over McMurry

ABILENE, Texas -- A hot-shooting performance in the second half from Texas Lutheran forced overtime as the two teams battled back and forth. Riley Fornerette (Surprise, Ariz./Dysart) would score five of the Bulldogs 13 overtime points - including a pair of clutch free throws - to secure the 84-79 victory for Texas Lutheran at Kimbrell Arena on the campus of McMurry University.

Mason Green had a career evening - recording his first collegiate double-double with a 26-point, 15 rebound performance - both career-highs. Green shot an efficient 11-of-17 for the game and would add three assists. Green was instrumental in Texas Lutheran not falling out of contention in the second half despite McMurry shooting 55% for the half - scoring 20 of his 26 points in the second half.

Xavier Phillips (Austin/Dripping Springs) would pour in 20 points while Riley Fornerette would add 15 points, two assists, and three steals in his first start of the season.

After the War Hawks carried a three-point lead into the break, the second half would be a battle that saw nine ties and twelve lead changes with neither team gaining more than a two possession lead. The War Hawks would carry a 71-69 lead with 47 seconds remaining before a layup by Isaac Orozco (Helotes/O'Connor) with 34 seconds remaining would force overtime. The Bulldogs would be led by Fornerette's five points in overtime as they would outscore the War Hawks 13-8 in the bonus period to seal the win.

Texas Lutheran succeeded at the line, shooting 88.9% from the free throw line compared to the War Hawks 68.8%. Texas Lutheran would take advantage of bonus possessions scoring 20 points off of turnovers and 10 fastbreak points. Texas Lutheran would hold a +14 advantage in points in the paint dominating the paint scoring 54-40.

Texas Lutheran improves to 2-1 on the season. They will have a short turnaround as they head to San Antonio on Tuesday to face the University of the Incarnate Word on Tuesday in an exhibition. Tip-off is currently set for 6:30 PM on ESPN+. All streaming and live stats links can be found on tlubulldogs.com.

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