Saints Ousted by Texarkana to End Season

ALEXANDRIA, LA. (Feb. 24, 2023) – The Our Lady of the Lake University (OLLU) men's basketball team lost a close game to Texas A&M University-Texarkana (TAMUT) 77-68 in the Red River Athletic Conference (RRAC) Tournament Quarterfinals. The Saints end the season at 13-16 overall and 8-12 in the RRAC.

Head Coach Chris Dial commented, "This was a disappointing loss and finish to the season. We learned a lot this year, but unfortunately did not learn how to manage leads when it mattered most. We had a very difficult officiating climate today and that reduced our margin of error. I'm proud of our seniors for the growth they've experienced and displayed. They've proven they will be assets to their communities and families as they embark on their next set of journeys. I'm hopeful our returners will make the appropriate adjustments mentally so we can continue to improve the product we put on the floor. I'm appreciative of our staff and the hard work they put in this year. Patty [Constantin], Ryan [O'Keefe] and all our gameday staff do an incredible job and should be mentioned. We are all thankful for the support our department and administration has shown us this year."

History

The Saints were 1-3 against the Eagles prior to the game.

Basics

The Saints held Texarkana to 35.9 percent shooting in the first half. The Eagles were only able to hit 2-of-11 three-pointers while the Saints shot 46.2 percent from three-point land. Despite outshooting the Eagles, the Saints trailed by three points at halftime after committing seven turnovers. Ellis Jones had 12 points at the break and Tommie Law grabbed three rebounds.

OLLU led by as many as eight points in the second half. The Eagles surged back to tie the game with 11 minutes remaining, but the Saints regained the lead up until there was just under five minutes left. Turnovers haunted the Saints in the final minutes of the game. OLLU missed multiple free throws and were unable to hit key shots down the stretch. Three Saints players finished with double-digit points in the nine-point loss.

Offensive/defensive standouts

Daniel Helterhoff led the Saints with 21 points. Tommie Law grabbed seven rebounds. Rob Gil had five assists.

Kobe Powel led Texarkana with 16 points, 15 rebounds and four assists.

Inside the box

OLLU combined for 22-of-52 shooting for 42.3 percent, 9-of-25 from three-point range for 36 percent and 15-of-22 from the free-throw line for 68.2 percent. TAMUT shot 23-of-66 for 34.8 percent, 6-of-21 three pointers for 28.6 percent and 23-of-30 from the free-throw line for 76.7 percent.

The Saints grabbed 29 rebounds while the Eagles collected 37.