Saints Men Sneak By Louisiana Christian to Win By Two

SAN ANTONIO (Dec. 17, 2022) – Freshman standout Daniel Helterhoff led the Our Lady of the Lake University (OLLU) men's basketball team to an 84-82 win in the Red River Athletic Conference (RRAC) matchup against Louisiana Christian University (LCU). His 26 points was a career high. He shot 9-of-10 field goals, 2-of-2 threes and 6-of-6 free throws to shine against the Wildcats.

The win moves the Saints to 7-6 overall and 3-3 in the RRAC 8-4, while the Wildcats drop to 5-6 overall and 1-3 in the conference.

The Saints are one and a half game behind the lead in the RRAC. LCU is two and a half games behind in the standings.

History

The Saints are 0-1 against the Wildcats. They lost last year 81-87 in the Wildcats' first season as part of the RRAC.

Basics

The Saints started out slow as the Wildcats took a quick 5-2 lead. At the 17th minute, OLLU climbed back to tie the game after a long three-pointer from Ellis Jones found the net. Ruben Monzon made one of his signature dunks to tie the game at nine and a hook shot layup from him gave the Saints the 11-9 lead. The Saints continued to make important plays to give them the advantage. Helterhoff shot in a three at the 14th minute to push the Saints to a 16-13 lead. It was raining threes for the most part as Jones and Paul Minjoth sank two and the Saints took the 27-20 lead. The Wildcats kept the pressure on the Saints and took the 28-27 lead with less that nine minutes remaining in the half. They went up 30-27 before Monzon made a layup, and Tommie Law's subsequent three tied the game at 32. The game tied again at 34, and a pair of free throws and a layup gave the Saints the 39-24 lead. After a timeout, the Saints regrouped on the floor to push ahead to a 44-34 lead. The Saints maintained the momentum to lead 48-40 at the half.

Helterhoff started the second half with a jumper, and his phenomenal dunk followed to give the Saints the 54-40 lead. The relentless Wildcats team came back to within six at the 16th minute with the score at 56-50. The teams tied at 56 with 13 minutes left in the game. Rob Gill made his three to give the Saints some breathing room. The score stayed very close, until a pair of free throws pushed the Saints ahead by five at 64-59. At the eighth minute, the teams again tied at 64, and the Wildcats pulled ahead after a free throw to lead 65-64. They tied again at 67 after a three from Georges Darwiche, and Helterhoff made his layup to get the lead back at 69-67. The Wildcats once again took the lead at 73-72 and the teams tied at 76. Helterhoff was sent to the charity stripe and he made both shots, but the teams tied again at 78. Helterhoff's three with 20 second left in the game was crucial, but the Wildcats made one of their own to get to within one at 82-83. A free throw from Jones gave the Saints the 84-82 lead and win to end the game.

Offensive/defensive standouts

Helterhoff led the Saints with 26 points, which included 9-of-10 from the field, 2-of-2 three pointers and 6-of-6 from the charity stripe. Monzon scored 20 points and Jones added 14. The Wildcats' leading scorer was Bailey Hardy who contributed 26 points.

Helterhoff and Monzon led the team in rebounds with six each. Darwiche added seven assists, while Jones marked four steals. K.J. Bilbo led his team in rebounds with nine. Kobi Johnson and Jamael Owusu each had four assists. Hardy led his team in steals with two.

Inside the box

OLLU combined for 30-of-57 shooting for 52.6 percent, 9-of-25 from three-point range for 36 percent and 15-of-17 from the three-throw line for 88.2 percent. LCU shot 31-of-56 for 55.4 percent, 10-of-17 three pointers for 58.8 percent and 10-of-16 from the free-throw line for 62.5 percent.

The Saints grabbed 30 rebounds while LCU collected 22. The Saints committed 13 turnovers, and the Wildcats recorded 11.

Postgame interview

Hear from Head Chris Dial and watch highlights.

What's next

The Saints will travel to Corpus Christi, Texas, on Dec. 28 for an exhibition game against Texas A&M University – Corpus Christi.