BOX SCORE

Austin, Texas – Jason Recendez and Josh Johnson were among three Tornado players to score in double figures off the bench, but the Concordia University Texas men's basketball team suffered a 101-74 setback against Texas-Dallas on Thursday, Jan. 6 at the Concordia Field House.

Texas-Dallas (9-3, ASC 6-2), which was picked to win the American Southwest Conference East Division after advancing to the NCAA Sweet 16 last season, raced to a 33-16 lead in the opening 12 minutes of the game. The Comets took advantage of 13 Tornado fouls by making 16 free throws during the stretch. After Curtis Davis drained a 3-pointer to give the visitors their largest lead of the half at 19 points, Recendez made consecutive shots from downtown to bring his team before the recess. Larry Durand drove in for a layup to end the half with the Comets leading by a 48-37 score.

Concordia (6-5, ASC 4-3), which entered the evening in a four-way tie for first place in the ASC West Division standings, continued to fight back in the second half. The hosts slashed the Texas-Dallas lead down to seven points at 64-57 with 12:41 on the clock when Tayler Jacobs converted a conventional three-point play by hitting a running jumper in the paint followed by a free throw. But the Comets regained control for the rest of the way, which was capped by a trey by Mitchell Robinson with 23 seconds left that produced the final outcome.

Led by Recendez and Johnson, who netted 11 points apiece, Concordia got 53 points from its bench. Durand, who also came off the bench, added 10 points, while Jacobs finished with nine points and five assists. Texas-Dallas was paced by Chris Barnes, the league's leading scorer and rebounder. The junior forward racked up a game-high 28 points and nine boards. Davis posted 23 points and nine rebounds, while Kyle Schleigh added 15 points.

Concordia continues its three-game homestand when it hosts Ozarks on Saturday, Jan. 8 at 3:00 p.m.