BOX SCORE

Tyler, Texas – Darius Anderson reached the 20-point plateau for the third straight game in leading the Concordia University Texas men's basketball team to an 88-80 come-from-behind road victory over Texas-Tyler on Thursday, Dec. 1 at the Louise Herrington Patriot Center. Anderson scored the basket that put his team ahead for good with under 12 minutes left in regulation as the Tornados got 69 bench points and erased a seven-point halftime deficit to win their second straight game.

The teams played a tightly contested match over the first five minutes, but a suffocating fullcourt press by the Tornados allowed them to go on a 15-2 run and take a 17-8 lead slightly before the midway point of the second half. Josh Johnson started the run by tipping in a missed 3-pointer by Larry Durand and capped it with a jumper.

Texas-Tyler (1-4, ASC 0-3) attempted to rally before the break and was able to tie the score at 20s on a Darren Houliston jumper. Concordia, however, got a 3-pointer from Darius Anderson to take back the lead. After Houliston sank two free throws to make it 23-22, the Tornados press came through again and allowed them to score eight points in a span of 23 seconds help them go ahead by a 34-22 score. Haynes sank a pair of shots from downtown before Donald Lee ended the stretch with three free throws.

But the Patriots came back, scoring 21 of the half's last 23 points. A Spencer Denmon jumper gave the hosts a 38-36 lead and Dallas Bean extended the advantage to 43-36 at recess by  sinking consecutive field goals.

Concordia scored first in the second frame as Travis Flye put back a missed 3-point attempt by Henry Riasco at the 19:35 mark. The Patriots responded with six of the game's next eight points to go up by nine on an old-fashioned three-point play by Houliston,  but the visitors stormed back. Donteé  Kinney made a free throw and then set up Anderson's trey that allowed the Tornados to regain the lead for good at 60-59 with 11:29 on the clock.

After a Darien Harris layup made it 62-59, the Patriots kept knocking on the door by making it a one-point affair three times over the next several minutes. But Concordia shook off any rally attempt by the hosts and rattled off eight unanswered, which included a tip-in followed by a free throw by Flye during the stretch. Nick Haynes canned five straight points to extend the margin as great as 12 before his squad would eventually hold on for the eight-point win.

Anderson, who accumulated four steals to go along with his 20 points, was among three Concordia players that came off the bench and scored in double figures. Haynes and Harris netted 16 and 12 respectively, while Harris also grabbed six boards. Kinney scored all seven of his points in the second half and pulled down six rebounds.

Houliston led five Texas-Tyler players in double figures in scoring with 18 points. He also accumulated seven rebounds , seven-rebounds, two steals and two blocks. Bean recorded a double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds for the Patriots, who only got 23 points from the bench.

Concordia (2-2, ASC 1-2) visits LeTourneau on Saturday, Dec. 3 at 3 p.m.