HOUSTON – Maluw Deng scored a career-high 18 points, Charles Johnson III posted a double-double, but it was not enough as the Concordia Texas men's basketball team fell short to St. Thomas (TX) 92-73 on Saturday.

The Tornados would struggle from the floor against the Celts, shooting 36 percent from the field, including 18 percent from behind the arc.

In the first half, Johnson III's layup helped CTX build a 14-6 lead early on, while Philip Meikle and Joe Neal each had four points.

St. Thomas would respond though with a 21-6 run to go on top with a seven-point lead with under five minutes to play.

Deng, meanwhile, would knock down four jumpers, scoring 11 of his 18 points in the final minutes of the first half as the Tornados trailed 38-34 at the midway point.

In the second half, the Celts would add on to their lead, outscoring CTX 45-24 in the first 13 minutes of the half and building a 25-point lead.

Concordia Texas would chip away though, thanks in part to Greg Harbor's 11 second-half points, and would go on a quick 15-0 run to cut the deficit to ten with under three minutes left.

The Tornados would run out of gas though as UST closed out the game on a 9-0 run to take the contest 92-73.

Deng shot 7-11 from the field for a career-high 18 points, while Neal tallied 16 points for the game. Johnson III, meanwhile, scored 12 points and grabbed 10 boards for his first double-double of the year.

Up next for Concordia Texas, they will open conference play when they host LeTourneau on Thursday at 7:30 p.m. inside Concordia Fieldhouse.