BOX SCORE

Austin, Texas – Darius Anderson scored a career-best 29 points while adding five assists and four steals as the Concordia University Texas men's basketball team recorded a 98-89 win over Centenary on Monday, Nov. 28 at the CTX Field House. The Tornados had four players score in double figures en route to recording their first win of the season in a game that features 12 ties and nine lead changes.

The first half was tightly contested with neither team leading by more than five points. A layup by Centenary's Tyler Wright made it a two-possession game for the first time at 11-7 when the clock reached the 13:53 mark.

The Gents stayed ahead for nearly 10 minutes until two Chris McDermott free throws broke a 31-all tie, keeping the Tornados on top for the nearly the rest of the stanza. Centenary got four points in a row on a layup by Maxx Nakwaasah followed by a pair of free throws from JaCo Hardin-Crawford to go ahead by two, appearing to be in control, but Anderson was able to send the teams into halftime tied at 47-47 by swiping the ball away from Daniel Allen and driving in for a buzzer-beating layup.

The teams played it close once again to start the second half and stayed within three points of each other for over six minutes. But two free throws by Josh Johnson would help fuel a 17-5 run over a span of 3:56. Kenny Williams made it a two-possession game for the first time in the half before two layups by McDermott following steals in the backcourt extended the lead to 13 shortly before the midway point.

Anderson kept the Tornados ahead by scoring eight straight points, capped by a trey that made it 88-73 with 6:46 left, and the squad never looked back from there. Centenary sliced the deficit to four with just over a minute remaining, but Travis Flye tipped in a missed jumper by Williams and Nick Haynes and Anderson added free throws to produce the final outcome.

In addition to recording a career-best 29 points, Anderson contributed five assists, four boards and four steals to pace Concordia. Haynes and Johnson netted 14 points apiece, while Chris McDermott added 13 to go along with three picks.

Centenary (0-3) was led by Maxx Nakwaasah's game-high 37 points, which included going 16-for-18 from the stripe. Hardin-Crawford and Tyler Wright each scored 13, while Hardin-Crawford also grabbed seven rebounds.

Concordia (1-2) visits Texas-Tyler on Thursday, Dec. 1 at 7:30 p.m.