It was a high-scoring affair on Monday afternoon at the Pete P. Gallego Center.
The Sul Ross State men's basketball team reached the century mark as it held on for a 100-97 victory over the Concordia University (Texas) Tornados to extend the win streak to two.
>> HOW IT HAPPENED:
Sul Ross State started things off with a bang, going on an 11-0 run highlighted by a trio of three-pointers from
Manny Flores,
Cailean Ables and
Omar Ibarra.
Concordia used an 11-0 run of its own to tie up the game at 15-all with 11:15 on the clock.
The lead changed five times before the Lobos began to gain some breathing room using a 16-0 run to take a 20-point lead.
Gabe Sanchez knocked down two 3-pointers while
Hayden Peterson landed one shot from beyond the arc during the scoring spree.
Sul Ross State led by as much as 23 points with 10:22 left in the second half.
The Tornados chipped away to trail by four with 53 seconds to go. Concordia made four 3-pointers in the second half while it also made 11 of 12 free throws to get back in the ballgame.
As Concordia tried to keep the game within reach by fouling, the Lobos knocked down three free throws to lead by seven.
The Tornados got two layups down the stretch to trail by three.
Concordia had possession during the final seconds of the contest, but a three-point attempt was off the mark as the Lobos were able to survive and win.
>> RECORDS: Sul Ross State (8-5); Concordia (4-7)
>> WHAT THE COACH SAID:
"It was great to see our guys never lose their composure. Coming into the game we quoted the calm man wins because the calm man thinks. So, we were able to stay composed, think about what we need to do, break down their press and just find layups and free throws. It's a shout out to our team for having good ball movement and just making smart decisions. It's a good way to go into the break." —
Head coach Xavier Webb
>> GAME NOTES:
- Tyler Jackson scored a season-high 29 points while he tallied his first double-double as he grabbed 17 rebounds.
- Sanchez finished with 23 points as he made four 3-pointers. He has made 10 three-pointers in his last three games.
- Peterson added with 10 points and a team-best seven assists. Peterson also grabbed six boards.
- Ables had nine points, four assists and 11 rebounds.
- Flores and Ibarra tallied seven and six points, respectively. Ibarra also had eight rebounds.
- The Lobos made nine 3-pointers while they shot 17 for 26 from the free throw line. Sanchez went a perfect 5 for 5 from the charity stripe.
- Sul Ross State got 39 points from the bench and 50 points in the paint.
- The Lobos won the battle on the boards with 56 rebounds compared to Concordia's 42.
- This was the first time the Lobos won a game with 100 or more points since Feb. 13, 2020 when it posted a 105-73 win over McMurry.
- The Lobos finished the first half of the season with an 8-5 record, which is the first time the program ends the first half with a winning record since going 9-4 during the 2017-2018 season.
>> UP NEXT: The Lobos begin the second half with a road trip to Marshall, Texas to take on East Texas Baptist University at 7:30 p.m. CST on Thursday, Jan. 4.
