AUSTIN, Texas – Philip Meikle produced a season-high 23 points on 9-of-14 shooting, but Luis Gonzales' buzzer-beating heave was off the mark as the Concordia Texas men's basketball team suffered a heartbreaking 82-81 loss to UT Dallas on Thursday inside Concordia Fieldhouse.

After trailing by as much as 12 points in the first half, the Tornados battled back and took a two-point advantage with 14 seconds to play in the game after Cameron Jones knocked down a pair of clutch free throws.

The Comets' Jalen Weber responded though, hitting a go-ahead 3-pointer at the top of the key and UT Dallas retook the lead with 3.6 seconds left on the clock, allowing CTX an opportunity to win the game.

Gonzales, who scored 12 of his 20 points in the second half, heaved it from half court, hitting off the left side of the rim as time expired and the Tornados opened the new year on a sour note, falling 82-81.

In the first half, Concordia Texas climbed back from an early double-digit deficit thanks to the shooting performance of Meikle, who knocked down 5-of-8 from the field in the period for 14 points, bringing the Tornados within 44-40 at halftime.

In the second half, Concordia Texas used a 9-2 run to grab their first lead since the opening minutes of the game after Gonzalo Munoz hit back-to-back 3-pointers and held a 57-53 advantage.

The game would witness eight lead changes and seven ties in the second half alone, before leading up to the final seconds.

Munoz, a junior from Gran Canaria, Spain, shot 4-of-7 from 3-point land, recording a career-high 12 points, while Tommy Holiday finished in double figures for the third time in his last four games and added three rebounds as well.

Concordia Texas continues its homestand on Saturday, hosting Ozarks at 1 p.m. inside Concordia Fieldhouse, seeking their first conference win of the season.