OLLU Men's Basketball Falls 74-71 Against SAGU to Open Season

WAXAHACHIE, TEXAS (Nov. 4, 2022) – The Our Lady of the Lake University (OLLU) men's basketball team lost a close contest against Southwestern Assemblies of God University (SAGU) 74-71 to open the 2022-2023 season. The Saints start 0-1 while the Lions improve to 2-0.

Head Coach Chris Dial said, "I was proud of our team tonight. SAGU is a very good team and it's a very tough place to play. We have a lot of new players, and we will get better. We have to shift our attention to a good Texas Wesleyan team tomorrow."

History

The Saints were 2-5 against the Lions prior to the game.

Basics

The Saints jumped out to a 12-8 lead early in the first half. The Lions bounced back after a timeout and rode the momentum into halftime with a 38-34 advantage. Ruben Monzon led OLLU in scoring in the first frame with nine points. He also grabbed a team-high seven rebounds and tallied two assists.

The second half saw multiple lead changes late in the game. The Saints were up by three points with under three minutes remaining in the contest. They held the lead until a three-point shot by the Lions put them in front with 1:17 on the clock. OLLU had a costly turnover and then a missed three-point shot to try and tie the game with four seconds left. The Saints fell 74-71 and will look for their first win of the season tomorrow night.

Offensive/defensive standouts

Monzon and Oscar Maldonado led the Saints with 16 points each. Monzon tallied a team-high nine rebounds. Rob Gill led the Saints with four assists.

Cortland Blake and JJ Boling led SAGU with 12 points apiece. Philbert Weekes grabbed 12 rebounds along with 10 points for a double-double. Keenan Gooden led the team with six assists.

Inside the box

OLLU combined for 24-of-72 shooting for 33.3 percent, 9-of-34 from three-point range for 26.5 percent and 14-of-20 from the free-throw line for 70 percent. SAGU shot 27-of-61 for 44.3 percent, 10-of-27 three pointers for 37 percent and 10-of-11 from the free-throw line for 90.9 percent.

The Saints grabbed 34 rebounds while SAGU collected 45. OLLU forced 23 turnovers and committed 14.

Up next

The Saints head to Fort Worth, Texas, tomorrow to face Texas Wesleyan University at 7 p.m.