Key Baskets Late Help TLU Beat No. 15 UMHB, 78-77

SEGUIN, Texas -- DJ Ardoin (Houston/Pearland) scored four points in the final minute, including drawing a foul with four seconds left to give Texas Lutheran their decisive lead as TLU upset No. 15 Mary Hardin-Baylor 78-77 at Memorial Gymnasium Wednesday night for their first win of the season. The win is the first win over UMHB since 2016.

Ardoin finished with a team-high 15 points and six rebounds for the Bulldogs (1-2). Ardoin scored 13 of his 15 points in the second half. Mason Wallace (San Antonio/Judson), who had a clutch layup that turned into a three-point play to give TLU a 77-76 lead with 42 seconds left, finished with 12 points off the bench. LaDarius King (Austin/St. Stephen's Episcopal) also played a pivotal role in the second half - scoring seven of his nine points in the half.

The Top 25 win is the first for head coach Austin Falke and is the first for TLU since Nov. 28, 2015 when the Bulldogs upset #25 East Texas Baptist, 79-78, at Memorial Gymnasium in the TLU Bulldog Classic, a game in which Falke would serve as an assistant coach under Jimmy Smith.

When the game ended, the Bulldogs celebrated with a raucous crowd - specifically "The Kennel" Student Section within the "Dog House" Memorial Gymnasium led by Ardoin, Xavier Phillips (Austin/Dripping Springs), and Easton Allen (New Braunfels/Marion). Phillips finished with 10 points while Allen scored six points and grabbed five rebounds. Freshman Carter Lewis (New Braunfels/New Braunfels) was also huge off the bench for the Bulldogs scoring a career-high 12 points and grabbing a game-high seven rebounds.

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��: @mmissy_mmuras #TooLiveU | #PupsUp pic.twitter.com/7ZspjWvHxB

— TLU Men's Basketball (@TLUbasketball) November 16, 2023

Texas Lutheran finished with a 39-25 advantage in bench points and 40-31 rebounding edge.

In a game that rivaled a postseason atmosphere, Texas Lutheran led their ranked opponent for 31:12 of the 40 minute ball game despite the game seeing 14 lead changes and 11 ties. The game was evenly matched throughout as the Bulldogs one point halftime lead proved to be the difference as the two teams scored 44 points each in the second half.

STOOD ON BUSINESS AND PROTECTED OUR HOUSE! IT'S AN UPSET AT THE DOG HOUSE! ��

Final ��:@DRARDOIN14 15 PTS 6 REBS@CarterLewis_23 12 PTS 7 REBS 2 AST@masonxwallace 12 PTS 3 REBS@ohgodxavier 10 PTS@la_dariusking 9 PTS@easton_allen03 6 PTS 5 REBS 4 AST#TooLiveU | #PupsUp pic.twitter.com/rZNIcVj2ki

— TLU Men's Basketball (@TLUbasketball) November 16, 2023

TLU continues their homestand tomorrow, Nov. 16, as they welcome UT-Dallas in non-conference action. Tip-off is set for 7 PM at Memorial Gymnasium. The game will be streamed on TLU+. All streaming and live stats links will be available on tlubulldogs.com.

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