HOUSTON –
Philip Meikle and
Spencer Bone each finished with 15 points, but it was not enough as the Concordia Texas men's basketball team fell in their season opener 94-74 to St. Thomas (TX) on Monday.
The Tornados shot over 40 percent from the 3-point line and forced 29 turnovers as a team, but it was not enough to take down the Celts, who shot 50 percent from the field and had three players finish in double figures.
Concordia Texas began the game on a hot streak, scoring the first 11 points, including eight coming from Meikle. The Cypress, Texas native scored 13 of the team's first 16 points as the Tornados held a 16-7 lead after Meikle's third 3-pointer of the game.
St. Thomas, though, found their stroke, going on a 24-3 run to take a double-digit lead. The Tornados would trail by as much as 20 before
Antoine Henderson scored five points in the final minutes of the half to cut the deficit to 47-31 at the midway point.
In the second half, CTX rallied, going on a 9-0 spurt to cut the lead to 66-55 after
Trevon Hester scored five straight points and then assisted on
Gonzalo Munoz's back-to-back layups.
The Celts responded once again though, going on a 22-4 run to put the game out of reach as the Tornados fell 94-74 to open the season.
Bone and Meikle combined for nine made 3-pointers, each pouring in 15 points. Hester, meanwhile, had nine points and dished out a team-high five assists. Munoz was the team's leading rebounder, snagging five for the game along with seven points.
Concordia Texas will remain on the road, traveling up to Portland, Ore., to face Lewis & Clark College on Nov. 20 at 9 p.m.
