Story courtesy of Texas Lutheran Sports Information
SEGUIN, Texas -- In front of a raucous Texas Lutheran crowd of 1,225, the Hardin-Simmons Cowboys were unfazed in their first-ever NCAA Division III Men's Basketball Championship game and rolled to a 97-81 road win in TLU's Memorial Gymnasium.
The Cowboys (19-10) advance to play No. 2-ranked Benedictine (Ill.) at 7 p.m. Saturday in Lisle, Ill. Benedictine is 27-0.
TLU's season is over at 21-7. The Bulldogs, champions of the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference for a second straight year, fell in the NCAA tournament first round for a second consecutive year.
The Bulldogs finished one win shy of tying the school record for wins in a season. TLU finishes the year with the new school mark for winning percentage (.750).
TLU hosted a NCAA Division III Men's Basketball Championship game for the first time in school history.
But HSU spoiled the occasion by shooting 75 percent from the field in the second half and hitting 64.8 percent of its total shots for the game.
The Cowboys made six of 10 three-point shots in the second half and shot 11-for-23 (47.8 percent) from the arc for the contest.
TLU shot 42.0 percent for the game but just 6-for-21 (28.6 percent) from the arc.
HSU led 43-31 at the half and survived a couple of Bulldog runs in the second half that had the lead down to six. But HSU never trailed and eventually pulled away for the road win.
Christian O'Neal led HSU with 21 points. He added eight assists and three rebounds.
Five HSU players hit double-figures. Caleb Spoon scored 20 and made all five of his three-point attempts. Dashun Dixon added 17 off the HSU bench.
HSU center Justin Jones chipped in 15 points, six rebounds, and three blocks, and Nathaniel Jack pulled down a game-high 12 rebounds and scored 13.
The Cowboys registered 20 assists on 35 made field goals.
The Bulldogs put five players in double figures. Harris Jowell (Brock/Brock) and Sterling Holmes (San Antonio/Antonian) each put up 16 for TLU.
Jordan Kouremetis (San Antonio/O'Connor) added 15 points, and Blake Ray (Kerrville/Tivy) and Zach Behr (Temple/Temple) each produced 10 points.
Jowell led TLU with 10 rebounds, and Holmes dished out five assists. Holmes also collected six rebounds.
TLU will come back for 2016-17 with its entire team scheduled to return.
