AUSTIN, Texas – Luis Gonzales shot 11-12 from the charity stripe, producing a career-high 27 points as the Concordia Texas men's basketball team dominated the second half to defeat No. 23 Illinois Wesleyan 88-69 on Sunday.

The Tornados shot 84 percent as a team from the free-throw line, led by Gonzales, who scored 18 of his game-high 27 points in the second half, as CTX ran away with their first win over a ranked team since defeating No. 18 Guilford 68-67 back on Nov. 17, 2017.

Despite, shooting only 44 percent from the field and trailing by as much as 13 points in the first half, CTX closed out the period on a strong note. The Tornados rallied late with a 17-2 run to take their first lead of the game after Ronnie Hamilton sank a pair of free throws with 3:13 to play.

Concordia Texas, behind Philip Meikle's 15 points on 4-of-7 shooting in the half, held the slight edge over the Titans 42-41 as the teams headed to the locker room.

In the second half, the game remained a one-possession score early on as neither team could create separation.

Leading 58-56 midway through the half, the Tornados shut down IWU and went on a 21-6 run to take their largest lead of the game at that point. During the spurt, Gonzales found his shooting touch, scoring 14 of the team's 21 points.

Concordia Texas went on to outscore the Titans 46-28 in the half, shooting over 57 percent from the floor, to secure the 88-69 win.

Meikle finished the game with a near triple-double, pouring in 22 points, including knocking down 4-of-8 from behind the arc, snagging a game-high nine rebounds and added six assists.

Tommy Holiday, meanwhile, was a force to be reckoned with on the floor, shooting 5-of-7 from the field for a season-high 18 points and finished with nine rebounds as well.

Next, the Tornados will head into the new decade at .500 on the year and will return to conference play when they host reigning American Southwest Conference Tournament champions UT Dallas on Jan. 2 at 7:30 p.m. inside Concordia Fieldhouse