SEGUIN, Texas - Michael Holland had career highs of 35 points and 17 rebounds and the Austin College men's basketball team picked up a big 96-92 win over defending Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference champion Texas Lutheran on Saturday evening. The 'Roos are now 7-8 overall and 4-4 in conference play.
Austin College jumped out to a 12-3 lead early and led by as many as 11 points late in the opening half, taking a 46-37 advantage into the locker room. Texas Lutheran used its three point shooting to fight back and eventually take a 68-61 lead with 12 minutes left to play, but the 'Roos used an 11-4 run to square things up and would go on top for good on a Chanston Goodman bucket with 3:51 remaining, making it an 81-80 game. The Austin College lead grew to 94-84 late and the Bulldogs were unable to close the gap in the game's final moments.
The 'Roos shot 54% from the field and dominated the glass with a 48-to-32 rebounding advantage in the victory, and scored 50 points in the paint compared to just 22 for TLU. The 'Roos also owned a 33-to-19 edge in fast break points, and the Austin College bench outscored Texas Lutheran by a margin of 35 to 8.
Holland made 12-of-19 shots and 11-of-14 from the free throw line to get his career-best 35 points, and added seven assists and four steals. Roman Strickland led the charge off the bench, scoring 19 points and securing seven rebounds, and Devin Roland chipped in 13 points, nine rebounds, four assists, and three blocks in the win. Austin College has now won four of their last five games as they head into a midweek SCAC contest at the University of Dallas on Tuesday.