Bulldogs Fall to Sul Ross, 81-73, Despite Phillips' 28 Points

ALPINE, Texas -- Texas Lutheran dropped their third straight Friday evening, falling on the road to Sul Ross State, 81-73, at the Gallego Center in Alpine.

Xavier Phillips (Austin/Dripping Springs) led with a season-high 28 points, one off of his career-high, five rebounds, two assists, and two steals. Phillips would connect on a career-high seven three-pointers on nine attempts (77.8%) and shot 9-of-14 (64.2%) on the night.

Mason Wallace (San Antonio/Judson) joined Phillips in double figures with 11 points - his fifth consecutive game in double figures - and a team-high four assists.

It was a back and forth first half that saw TLU trail, 34-33, entering halftime. The first half saw four lead changes and three ties.

Phillips shined in the second half with 19 points but he was outshined by a Lobos offense that shot 16-of-22 (72.7%) from the field for the half. Sul Ross would outscore the Bulldogs 47-40 in the second half as they would hold off Phillips and the Bulldogs. The Bulldogs led by one with 2:14 remaining before the Lobos would close the game on a 9-0 run to seal the win.

The Bulldogs fall to 1-5 while Sul Ross State improves to 3-1. The Lobos held an advantage in turnovers forced (18-10), points off turnovers (36-18), and bench points (44-24). The Lobos shot 57.1% from the field on the night compared to the Bulldogs 43.4%.

The Bulldogs (1-5) play in their final game ahead of SCAC play tomorrow, Nov. 25, as they wrap their road trip in Brownwood against Howard Payne. Tip-off is slated for 5 PM. All streaming and live stats links will be available on tlubulldogs.com.

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