AUSTIN, Texas – The Concordia Texas men's basketball team, led by Philip Meikle and Antoine Henderson, shot over 50 percent from the field for the second straight game, defeating Hardin-Simmons 79-61 on Saturday inside Concordia Fieldhouse.

In the first half, the Cowboys scored the game's opening bucket, but it was the only instance the Tornados trailed, responding with an 8-0 run that included a pair of 3-pointers from Meikle, to take the lead for good.

Hardin-Simmons climbed back into the game with a 7-1 spurt, cutting CTX's lead to 22-20 after Layton Sharp's jumper. Concordia Texas recovered though, outscoring the Cowboys 19-4 to end the half.

At halftime, the Tornados held a 41-24 advantage. Meikle led the charge, scoring 13 of his game-high 19 points in the first half.

Concordia Texas continued to create separation in the second half, opening the period on a 10-0 run, capped off by a Meikle layup and pushing the lead to 51-24.

Henderson, meanwhile, found his offensive groove in the second half, scoring 12 of his 18 points in the half on 6-of-7 shooting from the floor. The Bryan, Texas native gave the Tornados their largest lead of the night, a 31-point advantage, after getting the layup to drop at the 6:21 mark.

Concordia Texas cruised the rest of the way, defeating the Cowboys 79-61 for their second straight conference win of the season.

Meikle finished the game shooting 6-of-13 from the field, producing 19 points, while Henderson made a living in the paint, registering 18 points on 12 shots along with six rebounds as the Tornados outscored Hardin-Simmons 46-28 in the key.

Meikle, a Cypress, Texas native, is inching closer to the 1000-point club and after Saturday's contest, now only sits 67 points from reaching the historic milestone. He would become the 18th player in program history to score 1000 points in their career as a Tornado.

Gonzalo Munoz and Tommy Holiday, meanwhile, each finished in double figures in rebounds, as Munoz grabbed a career-high 11 rebounds, while Holiday recorded double-digit rebounds for the second time this season with 10 on the day. Off the bench, Ronnie Hamilton scored 11 points on five shots.

Next, CTX will host American Southwest Conference West Division foe Mary Hardin-Baylor on Jan. 25 at 3 p.m. inside Concordia Fieldhouse.