Men's Basketball Loses High-Scoring Affair to No. 4-ranked LSU-Shreveport

SAN ANTONIO (Dec. 14, 2023) – The Our Lady of the Lake University (OLLU) men's basketball team battled in an offensive heavy loss against No. 4-ranked LSU-Shreveport (LSUS) on Thursday night. The Saints move to 4-6 overall and 1-3 in the Red River Athletic Conference (RRAC). The Pilots jump to 8-0 overall and 3-0 in conference.  

History

The Saints were 11-14 against the Pilots prior to the game.

Basics

The two programs combined for 97 points in the first half. The Saints shot 42.4 percent from the field and hit half of their three-point attempts. The Pilots also shot well by hitting 51.4 percent in field goals and sinking 12-of-14 free throws. The Saints turned the ball over eight times, which helped lead the Pilots to a 15-point halftime advantage. Lonzo Rand had 13 points at halftime and Breion Powell grabbed five rebounds.

The Saints outscored the Pilots in the second half, but the halftime deficit was too large to overcome. Both teams went to the line 25 times, but the Saints struggled by only shooting 60 percent. The Saints were more disciplined defensively in the second frame by forcing seven turnovers. OLLU shrunk the lead to nine points with just over two minutes remaining. The Saints would score seven more points, but the Pilots hit key free throws to hold off the comeback. The Pilots won 108-99 and remain undefeated this season.

Offensive/defensive standouts

Xavier Purnell led the Saints with 17 points. Three Saints players had five rebounds apiece. Trey Law and Rob Gil tallied three assists each for the Saints.

Damon Davis led LSUS with 17 points. Jalen King grabbed 12 rebounds. Trey Johnson and King led the team with two assists each.

Inside the box

OLLU combined for 34-of-69 shooting for 49.3 percent, 7-of-15 from three-point range for 46.7 percent and 24-of-39 from the free-throw line for 61.5 percent. LSUS shot 33-of-62 for 53.2 percent, 11-of-23 three pointers for 47.8 percent and 31-of-39 from the free-throw line for 79.5 percent.

The Saints grabbed 29 rebounds while LSUS collected 28. Both teams committed nine turnovers.

Hear from Head Coach Chris Dial.

Up next

The Saints host Texas A&M University-Texarkana on Saturday at 4 p.m.