AUSTIN, Texas – Three Tornados finished in double figures, but the Concordia Texas men's basketball team came up short against No. 25 North Central College 83-71 on Saturday inside Concordia Fieldhouse.

The Tornados shot 44 percent from the field, led by Philip Meikle and Ronnie Hamilton, who both finished with a team-high 11 points, while Tommy Holiday nearly had a double-double, registering seven points and eight rebounds.

The game saw plenty of action at the free throw line as the teams combined for 68 fouls, including four technical fouls, and a total of 82 free throws attempted.  

Concordia Texas trailed for most of the first half, facing their largest deficit of the frame 26-19 midway through the period. The Tornados slowly cut into the lead, using a 10-2 run to retake the lead after Jordan Berry knocked down his lone 3-pointer of the game with 7:10 to go.

The Cardinals rallied in the final minutes of the half and took a 44-43 halftime lead as the teams headed to the locker room.

In the second half, the Tornados continued to battle back and took a slim 53-50 lead after Spencer Bone knocked down his first 3-pointer of the night with 16:52 to play.

North Central College did not go away though and took the lead for good, utilizing a 9-2 run, capped off by a fast break layup.

Concordia Texas closed the gap to three halfway through the second half after Antoine Henderson's dunk off an assist from Meikle, but the Cardinals did their damage at the free-throw line, shooting 37-51 from the line for the game as the Tornados fell 83-71.

Concordia Texas will have a quick turnaround, when they will host Illinois Wesleyan on Sunday at 5:30 p.m. inside Concordia Fieldhouse.