BOX SCORE
Pineville, La. – Despite getting a career night from
Tayler Jacobs, the Concordia University Texas men's basketball team dropped an 85-82 decision against Louisiana College in an American Southwest Conference matchup on Thursday, Dec. 9 at the H.O. Fieldhouse. The Tornados slashed a 14-point deficit all the way down to a single point, and had an opportunity to tie the game in the final seconds and force overtime, but the Wildcats fought off every comeback bid by the visitors to escape with the three-point win.
Concordia, which was down by only five with under four minutes left in the second half after trailing the entire game, put itself in a position to take its first lead in the final minutes of regulation.
Collin Perkins made two clutch free throws with 3:37 on the clock, making it a one-possession game, and
Steven Bob-Nabena converted a short jumper to make it 76-75 at the 2:25 mark.
After the Wildcats extended their lead back up to five on two free throws by Jelani Mitchell,
Josh Johnson hit his first 3-pointer of the season at a big moment with eight seconds left in the game. The shot made it 84-82.
Forced to foul after failing to get a steal, the Tornados sent Ryan Meadows to the free throw line. Meadows made his first shot to put his team ahead by an 85-82 score, but his second rimmed out to give the Tornados a chance to score and force overtime. But Jacobs had the ball stripped by Korey Salmon at midcourt, and the forward ran out the clock to allow the Wildcats to escape with the three-point win.
Led by Mitchell, Louisiana (4-4, ASC 3-2) scored 12 of the game's first 15 points and built up a 28-14 advantage before Concordia responded with eight straight to climb back into the game. Jacobs scored five points by sinking a jumper and converting a conventional three-point play before
Nick Haynes canned a trifecta to make it a 28-22 game at the midway point of the frame. The Tornados, who came within three on a
Connor Davenport jumper with 7:52 remaining, found themselves down 47-42 at the break thanks to a running jumper by Johnson that beat the buzzer.
Jacobs contributed 19 points, which matched a career high, along with a personal-best eight rebounds, to pace Concordia. He also had three assists. Haynes finished with 17 points, hitting five shots from long range, while Johnson and Perkins added 15 and 10 points, respectively, and grabbed seven rebounds apiece. Louisiana was led by Mitchell's 27-point outburst. Salmon registered a double-double with 15 points and 10 boards.
Concordia (3-3, ASC 2-2) wraps up its road trip when it visits Mississippi College on Saturday, Dec. 11 at 7:30 p.m.
