One of the toughest things to do in the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference is traveling to Colorado College and coming away with a road win. This proved to be true for the University of Dallas men’s basketball team as the Tigers handed them an 89-80 loss.
The Crusaders came into the game with a three-game winning streak, but after two minutes they fell behind by three and spent the rest of the game trying to catch up. The first-half ended with Colorado on top 46-37.
Dallas came close to clawing their way into a lead at the beginning of the second half as they went on an 11-2 run and cut the deficit down to four points, but the Tigers reacted and regained their 10-point lead after making two three point shots. That was the closest Dallas would get for the rest of the game, since every time the Crusaders began to rally, the Tigers would extend their lead.
Spencer Levi was once again the Crusader’s standout player as he finished the game with 30 points, 11 rebounds, 6 assists, 3 steals, 3 blocks, and no turnovers. Unfortunately, Levi’s 17th double-double of the season was not enough to propel this Dallas side to a road win.
The Colorado men were efficient in their shooting and quick to get rebounds as they finished the game with a team field goal percentage of 54 percent and 37 rebounds compared to Dallas’ 49.2 percent shooting from the field and 29 rebounds.
“We should’ve rebounded better and been tougher,” senior Manny Calton said. “Personally, I wish I could’ve been more aggressive, I scored on my first touch pretty easily and and didn’t really look to attack much after.”
Head coach Jarred Samples further added to Calton’s comments by saying that his team “played well offensively,” but what cost them the game was their defense since they “gave up 54 percent from the field and were out rebounded by eight.” Samples also stated that “it’s tough to win on the road when you allow that to happen.”
Regarding the upcoming tournament matchup against TLU, Calton said that “as long as we rebound and fly around defensively I like our chances.” Calton also added that he is willing to go to war for this team and will do his best to lead by example as he is the only player on the roster with tournament experience.
The team will spend this week perfecting their plays in preparation for the SCAC tournament. “This week in practice we want to focus on details to make sure we are ready,” Samples said. “It’s not like we are putting in brand new plays for the tournament. It’s more fine tuning everything we do, so we are sharp and crisp next week.”
Soon, the Crusaders will return to Colorado and face sixth-seed Texas Lutheran in the SCAC Tournament. Dallas and TLU split their series this season with Dallas beating TLU in Seguin and losing to them at the Maher Center. Dallas will look to make a championship push as the third-seed in the tournament.
