Men's Basketball Races Past Jarvis 78-70

SAN ANTONIO (Jan. 25, 2024) – The Our Lady of the Lake University (OLLU) men's basketball team rallied in the second half to beat Jarvis Christian University (JCU) 78-70 on Thursday night. The Saints jump to 8-10 overall and 5-7 in the Red River Athletic Conference (RRAC). The Bulldogs drop to 8-9 overall and 6-7 in the RRAC.

History

The Saints were 19-7 against the Bulldogs prior to the game.

Basics

The first half was a low-scoring affair. The Saints shot 41.4 percent from the field and grabbed 19 rebounds. Rob Gil and Daniel Helterhoff both had nine points at the break. The Bulldogs hit 35.1 percent of their shots from the field but struggled from the three-point line at 16.7 percent. The game was tied 32-32 at halftime.

The Saints jumped out to a 10-point lead with just under four minutes remaining in the game. The Bulldogs were able to cut the lead to six points with 2:19 left, but the Saints held strong from the free-throw line late in the game. The Saints' offense improved in the second half by hitting 50 percent of their shots from three-point range. Breion Powell scored 13 points off the bench for the Saints in the second frame and the Saints forced seven turnovers. OLLU won by eight points to pick up their fifth win in conference competition.   

Offensive/defensive standouts

Gil led the Saints with 17 points. Three different players grabbed seven rebounds apiece for OLLU. Gil and Xavier Purnell tallied two assists each.

Jakari Jackson led JCU with 13 points. George Nwogu grabbed five rebounds for the Bulldogs. James Phillip Russell led the team with four assists.

Inside the box

OLLU combined for 26-of-63 shooting for 41.3 percent, 7-of-19 from three-point range for 36.8 percent and 19-of-27 from the free-throw line for 70.4 percent. JCU shot 25-of-70 for 35.7 percent, 8-of-26 three pointers for 30.8 percent and 12-of-18 from the free-throw line for 66.7 percent.

The Saints grabbed 43 rebounds while JCU collected 27. The Saints forced 15 turnovers and committed 18.  

Hear from Head Coach Chris Dial.

Up next

The Saints battle Texas College at home on Saturday at 4 p.m.