AUSTIN, Texas – Four different Tornados scored in double figures, led by
Antoine Henderson's double-double of 15 points and 12 rebounds as the Concordia Texas men's basketball team fended off Schreiner 99-93 on Saturday for their second win in a row.
The Tornados, who split their first two games of the season last week in the Southwestern Classic, faced the Mountaineers in their home opener.
Concordia Texas shot over 50% from the floor for the second game in a row, dominating the paint by scoring 56 of its points in the lane, led by Henderson's 7-of-11 performance.
The Bryan, Texas native recorded his first double-double of the season and his first one since Nov. 22, 2019, producing a team-high 15 points and pulled down a career-high 12 boards, including four on the offensive end.
In the first half, it was all Tornados, jumping out to a 10-1 advantage after Shawn Phillips' 3-pointer.
Phillips knocked down three 3-pointers on the day and scored eight of his 11 points in the first half.
Meanwhile,
Bobby Espericueta provided a spark off the bench, going 5-of-6 from the field, pouring in 11 points on six shots and the Tornados took a double-digit lead into the locker room at 53-39.
In the second half, CTX maintained a double-digit edge thanks to the play of
Alexander Estrada, who scored all nine of his points in the period.
The Tornados grabbed their largest lead of the night at the 6:49 mark after
Dylen Scales' layup made it 87-67.
Schreiner responded late though, scoring the game's next 20 points to even it at 87-all after a free throw by Darian Gibson.
Concordia Texas faced their first deficit of the night after the Mountaineers' Bronson Evans got his layup to drop and make it 90-89 with 1:53 to play.
Cameron Jones stepped up late for the Tornados though, putting the team back in front on the ensuing possession by knocking down a jumper plus the foul on his way to scoring six straight points for CTX as they regained the lead.
The Tornados never relinquished their advantage, finishing the game on a 10-4 run to secure the 99-93 win over Schreiner.
Luis Gonzalez and
Jaden Ross both finished the game in double figures for CTX, producing 10 points and 13 points, respectively. Espericueta, meanwhile, finished the night with a career-high 14 points, including a 4-of-5 showing from the charity stripe.
The Tornados will remain at home, hosting Ozarks on Thursday in their conference opener at 7:30 p.m. inside Concordia Fieldhouse.