Late Baskets Help TLU Escape Dallas with 75-74 Win

IRVING, Texas -- Despite leading for less than five minutes Saturday evening - and just over a minute of game time in the second half - TLU was able to escape the Maher Center on the campus of University of Dallas with a 75-74 win behind 17 second half points from freshman Teddy Tapken (Austin/Lake Travis) and clutch free throws from Jordan Dunn (Del Valle/Del Valle). The win completes a regular season series sweep of the Crusaders and keeps the Bulldogs postseason hopes alive heading into next weekend.

Teddy Tapken scored a career-high 24 points on 10-of-13 shooting, including 3-of-4 from deep. Tapken continues to be one of the most efficient scorers in the country - shooting a SCAC leading 66-percent from the field on the season - ranking seventh in NCAA Division-III in field goal percentage.

Easton Allen (New Braunfels/Marion) finished with 15 points, including 3-of-5 from deep, in addition to four rebounds. Allen ranks second in the SCAC in three-point percentage, shooting 47.2-percent from beyond the arc on the season. LaDarius King (Austin/St. Stephen's Episcopal) also played a pivotal role in the second half - scoring eight of his 13 points in the half. Kevin Juarez (Pasadena/Pasadena) scored seven points and grabbed a career-high nine rebounds off the bench.

After an early back-and-forth, Dallas would lead for a majority of the first half, carrying a 32-30 lead into halftime.

Dallas would attempt to fend off the Bulldogs in the second half as the Bulldogs kept it close as freshman Teddy Tapken took over, becoming a focal point of the Bulldog offense and accounting for nearly 40 percent of the Bulldogs second half points. Following a three-pointer from Tapken, the Bulldogs tied the game 70-all with two minutes remaining. Just as Dallas seemed to pull away with a 74-70 lead, senior Xavier Phillips (Austin/Dripping Springs) sank a three of his own to shrink the Crusaders lead to 74-73 with 45 seconds remaining.

Following a number of missed attempts from both teams, Jordan Dunn would be fouled with 1.8 seconds remaining - sinking both free throws to ice the game and seal the win for the Bulldogs.

TLU returns to Seguin to close the 2024 regular season with a pivotal three-game homestand, starting with a Friday night matchup with Centenary. Tip-off is set for 5:30 PM at Memorial Gymnasium. The game will be streamed on TLU+. All streaming and live stats links will be available on tlubulldogs.com.

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