Men's Basketball Falls in Final Minutes Versus XULA

SAN ANTONIO (Jan. 6, 2024) – The Our Lady of the Lake University (OLLU) men's basketball team lost to Xavier University of Louisiana (XULA) 88-81 on Saturday afternoon. The Saints move to 6-7 overall and 3-4 in the Red River Athletic Conference (RRAC). The Gold Rush improve to 9-2 overall and 6-0 in conference.

History

The Saints were 0-3 against the Gold Rush prior to the game.

Basics

The Saints shot well in the first half from the field at 46.7 percent. Trey Law and Daniel Helterhoff both had double-digit points and Helterhoff grabbed five rebounds. The Gold Rush shot 46.7 percent from three-point range and trailed by four points at halftime.

XULA's defense stepped up in the final minutes of the second half. They had a five-point lead with just over two minutes left in the game. Rob Gil hit two free throws to bring the Saints within one point. Law tied the contest with a layup with 1:21 remaining, and after a three-point bucket by the Gold Rush, Xavier took a timeout. Helterhoff missed a game-tying three-point shot and the Saints were forced to foul. The Gold Rush hit four key free throws in the final seconds to win by seven points.

Offensive/defensive standouts

Law led the Saints with 20 points. Helterhoff grabbed eight rebounds for OLLU. Gil tallied seven assists.

Cory Wells led XULA with 25 points. Jathen Ross grabbed seven rebounds. TJ Jones led the team with three assists.

Inside the box

OLLU combined for 24-of-60 shooting for 40 percent, 7-of-22 from three-point range for 31.8 percent and 26-of-31 from the free-throw line for 83.9 percent. XULA shot 29-of-69 for 42 percent, 9-of-22 three pointers for 40.9 percent and 21-of-30 from the free-throw line for 70 percent.

The Saints grabbed 32 rebounds while XULA collected 31. The Saints forced five turnovers and committed nine.  

Hear from Head Coach Chris Dial and watch highlights.

Up next

The Saints play at Paul Quinn College on Jan. 11 at 7:30 p.m.