Texas Lutheran falls to Concordia (TX), 82-69, in Paul Peak Classic

SEGUIN, TX -- Despite a career-high 20 points from Riley Fornerette (Surprise, AZ/Dysart) and a 21-point scoring effort from Mason Green (San Marcos/San Marcos), Texas Lutheran fell to Concordia University, 82-69, in non-conference action Saturday afternoon in the first of the Bulldogs' two games in the Paul Peak Classic at the Robertson Center on the campus of Southwestern University.

Green was also active on the boards, grabbing a team-high seven rebounds. Xavier Phillips (Austin/Dripping Springs) joined Fornerette and Green in double-figures with 10 points and five rebounds.

Cesar Reyes (Sabinal/Sabinal) had active hands off the bench swiping three steals while contributing two assists off the bench for the Bulldogs.

Both teams had shooting woes from beyond the arc, with the Bulldogs shooting 19% from deep and the Tornados shooting a mere 12%. Despite the troubles from deep, Concordia still shot an efficient 54% from the field while holding the statistical advantage over the Bulldogs in points in the paint, turnovers, and second chance points.

The Bulldogs fell behind early in the first half due to a sloppy first half that saw the Bulldogs turn the ball over 12 times and not capitalize on the turnovers they forced. The Tornados outscored the Bulldogs 12-4 in points off turnovers despite Concordia only holding a 12-8 advantage in turnovers. TLU would carry that same eight-point deficit into halftime. The Tornados began to pull away in the second half - stretching out to a 21-point lead at one point, but the Bulldogs continued to battle. Fornerette and Green would combine for 30 points in a second half that saw the Bulldogs shoot 50% from the field, but the Tornados would shoot an outrageous 66.7% for the half. Texas Lutheran would shrink the Tornados lead to as much as eight but were never able to fully overtake the Tornados.

Texas Lutheran continues play in the Paul Peak Classic on Sunday, Nov. 20, as the Bulldogs take on the Hendrix College Warriors. Tip-off is set for 12 PM. All streaming and live stats links will be available on tlubulldogs.com.