Women's Basketball Preview: vs Dallas

Game 25: Texas Lutheran (13-11, 9-7 SCAC) vs Dallas (11-13, 7-9 SCAC)

Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC) Championship Quarterfinals

Friday, February 24, 2023 - 12 PM CST

Calgaard Gymnasium (Trinity University) - San Antonio, Texas

Gameday Quick Facts:

• STREAM: The game will be streamed here on Trinity's "Tiger Network" on YouTube.
• SERIES: Texas Lutheran leads, 18-4. The Bulldogs are 16-2 since joining the SCAC in 2013-14. Last meeting: Texas Lutheran 85-52 (Jan. 20, 2023; Seguin)

Notables:

MARCH TO MADNESS: The calendar has officially flipped to the postseason as the Texas Lutheran Women's Basketball team is set to kick off postseason action this weekend as it travels down I-10 to San Antonio for the 2023 SCAC Championship inside Trinity University's Calgaard Gymnasium.

Finishing the regular season with a 13-11 record overall and a 9-7 mark in conference play, the Bulldogs secured the tournament's No. 4 overall seed where they'll face No.5-seed Dallas. Tip is slated for 12 PM CST and will air on Trinity University's Tiger Network on YouTube.

Should the Bulldogs win their Friday afternoon clash with the Crusaders, they would advance to Saturday's semifinal where they would meet the tournament's host - No. 4 Trinity.

SETTING THE STAGE: The Bulldogs enter Friday's tilt on a two-game losing streak but have won five of their last eight games dating back to their last matchup against Dallas on January 20 at Memorial Gymnasium.

The Crusaders captured a victory in their regular season finale as they defeated Austin College 54-43 on the road, ending a two-game losing streak for the Crusaders.

Texas Lutheran and Dallas will meet for the 23rd time on Friday. The Bulldogs own a 18-4 advantage in the all-time series with the Crusaders - winning seven of the last eight matchups and splitting the 2022-23 regular season series.

PEAKING AT THE RIGHT TIME?: After dropping four of five to end 2022 and start the 2023 calendar year, the youthful Bulldogs have seemingly started to right the ship as they've won five of their last eight with their losses totaling a grand total of 11 points. Throughout the stretch, Texas Lutheran is outscoring their opponents 536-437 and holding them to just 54.6 points per game. Texas Lutheran is shooting 44.2 percent from the field with a 74.6 percent mark from the charity stripe.

THE PATTERSON FORMULA: Bulldog head coach Troy Patterson has made no secret in his success in his year-plus at the helm of TLU Women's basketball: Relentless defense, limiting turnovers, and taking advantage of opportunities at the free throw line. Texas Lutheran ranks No. 1 the SCAC in scoring defense holding opponents to 56.5 points per game. They also lead the league in fewest turnovers at 17.1 per game and free throw percentage at 70.8 percent.

SCOUTING THE CRUSADERS: After missing the conference tournament last season, Dallas returns to the postseason behind the play of sophomore guard Adryan Alvarez and freshman forwards Tessa Hastings and Jordan Gillespie. Alvarez paced the Crusaders offensively averaging 11.3 points per game. Gillespie is the SCAC's third leading rebounder with 7.8 rebounds per game while Tessa Hastings is one of the SCAC's most lethal three-point shooters, shooting 42.5 percent from deep.