Bulldogs Down Sul Ross State, 60-52, in Home Opener

SEGUIN, Texas -- Freshman guard Lauren Sansano (San Antonio/FEAST) posted 13 points, five rebounds, four assists to fuel Texas Lutheran to a 60-52 win against Sul Ross State at Memorial Gymnasium in Saturday afternoon's home opener.

The San Antonio native went off in the second half scoring 11 of her 13 points in the second half, including nine in the third quarter, on 3-of-7 shooting and grabbing four rebounds.

The Texas Lutheran (1-3) defense was stout all night long, holding the Lobos to 25.9-percent shooting from the field and just 4-of-17 from beyond the arc. TLU forced 16 turnovers thanks to seven steals and four blocks.

Offensively, the Bulldogs found success attacking the paint, scoring 20 points down low, while hitting a season-high nine threes on 31 attempts on Saturday. Texas Lutheran shot 37 percent from the field and 87.5 percent from the charity stripe.

Sophomore guard Kailee Mulkey (New Braunfels/New Braunfels) stuffed the stat sheet - finishing with 12 points, four rebounds, four assists, and two blocks in an all-around effort. Elexis Morado (Kingsville/Santa Gertrudis Academy) led the way on the boards and from beyond the arc, knocking down a trio of three-pointers to end the afternoon with 11 points, eight rebounds, two assists, and two steals. Juliana Tapia (San Antonio/O'Connor) added six points and two steals.

Sul Ross took a 7-4 lead to start the game, but Texas Lutheran would take a narrow, 14-13, lead into the second quarter.

Six points from Morado would spark the Bulldogs offense in the second quarter as the Bulldogs maintained their one-point advantage, taking a 29-28 lead into halftime.

Texas Lutheran and the Lobos remained deadlocked in the third quarter, the Bulldogs extended their lead to two points behind a nine-point quarter from Sansano.

The Bulldogs began the fourth quarter with a 10-1 run, and the Bulldogs continued an impressive defensive effort in the fourth quarter - holding the Lobos to 2-of-15 shooting in the final period. The Lobos did not go away quietly but Mulkey's eight points in the stanza lifted the Bulldogs to the victory.

Up next, Texas Lutheran travels to University of the Incarnate Word for an exhibition on Sunday in the McDermott Center at 2 PM. The contest will be televised on ESPN+. All live stats links will be available on tlubulldogs.com.

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