(Story Courtesy of Trinity University Sports Information Department)
SAN ANTONIO, Texas – The 15th-ranked Tiger men's basketball team suffered a narrow 67-63 loss in a First Round NCAA Playoff game against the University of Texas-Dallas on Friday night.
Trinity (23-4) finishes the season by losing two straight games for the first time all year, while the Comets (19-9) advance to the next round against 19th-ranked Nebraska Wesleyan University tomorrow in Calgaard Gym.
The Tigers were down eight with five minutes to go, but rallied to take a 62-60 lead with 2:39 remaining. Neither team scored again until the final minute when UTD nailed a go-ahead three-pointer with 24 seconds left. Trinity missed its next shot that could have put them back in front with under 10 seconds to play, then the Comets hit their free throws in the end to clinch it.
Grayson Herr scored 11 of his career-high 15 points in the second half to help fuel the rally. Herr nailed 7-of-10 from the field and also added a pair of steals.
Dean Balo was the only other Tiger player to reach double figures, chipping in with 10 points off the bench, and tying two others for the team lead with three steals. Christian Green finished with nine points, three steals, and six rebounds. Jacob Harvey also had three steals and led Trinity with four assists.
Abdullah Roberts came off the bench and grabbed a team-best seven rebounds, while Zach Fenn snagged six boards of his own. Tanner Brown finished with seven points, two steals, and two rebounds.
The Rundown
UT-Dallas was in control early in the game after scoring eight of the first 10 points of the opening period. Trinity battled back to tie the game three times after that, but could never manage to take the lead. The Comets eventually built up a nine-point lead at 28-19 with 3:35 remaining in the half when Harvey sparked a Tiger rally to close out the period. His three-pointer started an 8-0 run that also included three free throws from Brown and a layup in the final minute by Herr. UT-Dallas hit the final shot of the half, though, and led 30-27 at the break.
The second half was more of Trinity chasing down UTD to try and get in front, but falling just short. The Comets then got hot and pulled out to a 10-point margin by the 11-minute mark, but Green and Herr had four points each during a 10-2 Tiger run that made it a two-point game once again at 54-52. The offense went cold for Trinity after that, though, and UTD hit a pair of three-pointers to lead by eight with just five minutes left. Herr then scored seven points during a 10-0 Trinity run that gave the Tigers their first lead of the game with 2:39 remaining at 62-60. Neither team scored again until the final minute when UT-Dallas hit the go-ahead shot. Trinity had its shot lined up, but it rimmed out and the Tigers were forced to foul. UT-Dallas hit a pair of free throws to take a 65-62 lead, then fouled in the final seconds before allowing Trinity to attempt a game-tying shot. Trinity missed the second of its free throws on purpose, but the Comets got the rebound and were able to hold on for the win.
Coach Speak
"It's obviously always a tough time whenever the season ends," began Head Coach Jimmy Smith. "I'm super proud of the guys and all we accomplished this year, and I'm very proud of the effort to get back and give ourselves a chance to win tonight; but on the other side of it, there's the disappointment of the moment."
