The Austin College men's basketball team made a frantic late comeback but fell just short in a 106-104 loss at the University of Dallas, the first defeat of the season for the 'Roos. Austin College is now 10-1 overall and 0-1 in Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference play.
Austin College led for most of the first half before Dallas closed on a 17-10 run to head into halftime leading the 'Roos 44-40, as the Crusaders hit five free throws in the final 33 seconds of the half. Free throws would become a big part of the story in the game, as Dallas made 37-of-55 attempts in the game, compared to 17-of-28 for Austin College.
In the second half, the Crusaders got hot from long distance on their way to building an 86-70 lead with 4:21 to play on a three pointer from Lorenzo Gonzalez, marking the largest lead of the game for either team. A three from Alan Sullivan cut it to a single digit deficit at 92-83 with 2:30 left, and after the Crusaders pushed the margin back to double figures at 102-90 with just 48 seconds remaining, a three point play from Jeremy Swisher kicked off a late scramble by the 'Roos to get back into the game.
Sullivan buried another three to cut it to 103-96 with 35 seconds left, and a Christian Chiles trey pulled Austin College to within two at 104-102 with 10 seconds remaining. Dallas would hit two more free throws, with a basket by Patrick Johnson at the buzzer making it a final margin of two points.
Stephen Igbinosa finished with 20 points to lead the 'Roos, adding five rebounds and five blocked shots. Sullivan had 19 points on 8-of-12 shooting, and Cedric Hudson scored 17. Swisher came off the bench to contribute 16 points, seven rebounds, and four assists in the loss.
Dallas hit 9-of-16 three pointers in the game, with Gonzalez scoring 19 points while grabbing nine rebounds and handing out six assists to lead the Crusaders.