OLLU Men's Basketball Downs TWU in Epic Four-Overtime Game

FORT WORTH, TEXAS (Nov. 5, 2022) – The Our Lady of the Lake University (OLLU) men's basketball team won a quadruple overtime thriller 119-117 over Texas Wesleyan University (TWU) on Saturday night. The Saints move to 1-1 on the season while the Rams fall to 1-1. The four overtime periods marked the longest game in OLLU men's basketball history.

Head Coach Chris Dial commented, "This was a fun game to compete in. Both teams played their hearts out. We try to seek this game out every year because it's always a great game. We have some great players, and we were fortunate to come out with the win."

History

The Saints were 6-6 against the Rams prior to the game.

Basics

The Saints won a nail-biting game against the Lions that took four overtimes to declare a winner. OLLU led at halftime 34-31 behind 43.3 percent shooting from the field. The Saints forced nine turnovers by Texas Wesleyan in the first frame and Ellis Jones had nine points.

The second half had multiple lead changes and led to overtime after a thrilling end to regulation. Ruben Monzon made a free throw to tie the game at 74-74 with 28 seconds remaining. The Rams had a chance to win the game with one second remaining but missed a layup.

The Saints took a three-point lead halfway through the first overtime period. The Rams battled back to tie the game with 19 seconds left. Texas Wesleyan missed a potential go ahead free throw with 16 seconds on the clock and the game ended up heading to a second overtime.

OLLU had another chance to put away the game after leading by four points in the second overtime. The Rams came back yet again to tie the game with under a minute remaining. The Saints were down by two points with under 10 seconds remaining when Tommie Law made a clutch layup. The Rams then missed a jump shot to send the contest to the third overtime.

The third overtime followed the same storyline as the previous periods. OLLU jumped out to an early four-point lead but were unable to sustain it. Rob Gill made two free throws for the Saints late in the period to give the Saints a 104-101 advantage. Akili Vining hit a buzzer beating three-point shot to extend the game to the fourth overtime.

The thrilling game finally came to an end in the fourth overtime. The Saints led throughout the entire frame and won 119-117. Monzon finished with a double-double and four other Saints posted double-digit points.

Offensive/defensive standouts

Gill led the Saints with 25 points. Monzon tallied a team-high 13 rebounds. Monzon also led the Saints with seven assists.

Vining led TWU with 28 points. Lamine Komara grabbed 13 rebounds along with 22 points for a double-double. Peyton Sallee led the team with five assists.

Inside the box

OLLU combined for 41-of-79 shooting for 51.9 percent, 9-of-20 from three-point range for 45 percent and 28-of-44 from the free-throw line for 63.6 percent. TWU shot 42-of-87 for 48.3 percent, 7-of-25 three pointers for 28 percent and 26-of-40 from the free-throw line for 65 percent.

The Saints grabbed 43 rebounds while TWU collected 49. OLLU forced 20 turnovers and committed 24.

Up next

The Saints travel to Goodwell, Okla., to play Oklahoma Panhandle State University on Nov. 11 at 6 p.m.