AUSTIN, Texas – Ephriam Price III put up 29 points while drilling five 3-pointers, but it was not enough as the Concordia Texas men's basketball team fell in their season opener 111-97 against Huston-Tillotson Tuesday night at Concordia Fieldhouse.
 
It was a tale of two halves as the Tornados build a 66-45 lead at halftime. The Rams roared back, however, by shooting 69.7 percent from the floor in the second half to grab the victory.
 
Price III, a senior from Lake Charles, La., went 8-for-18 from the floor to lead all scorers in the game. Fellow senior Joe Neal also produced over 20 points, scoring 24 while pulling down a team-high five rebounds.
 
The Tornados came out of the gates fast, going on a 10-0 run early in the game to grab a 17-8 lead. CTX grabbed their biggest lead of the half when Philip Meikle drained a 3-pointer to make it 66-43 just before the break.
 
In the first half, the Tornados shot 51.2 percent from the floor and went 10-for-17 from beyond the arc.
 
Huston-Tillotson's second half comeback began right out of the gates, scoring 42 of the first 52 points in the half to take an 87-78 lead.
 
The Tornados responded with a 9-2 run to cut the deficit to two, but could not get any closer as CTX falls to 0-1 on the season.
 
Offensively, Price III, Neal, Philip Meikle and Charles Johnson III all scored in double figures while Ronnie Hamilton facilitated the offense, dishing out a team-high eight assists.
 
Next up, the Tornados will head to Walla Walla, Wash. for a neutral site contest with Willamette Friday night at 8:00 p.m.