AUSTIN, Texas – Antoine Henderson had a near double-double, scoring a team-high 21 points and grabbing seven rebounds as the Concordia Texas men's basketball team snapped its two-game skid on Thursday, overwhelming Howard Payne 101-87 inside Concordia Fieldhouse.

In a near wire-to-wire win, the Tornados shot over 50% from the field, led by Henderson, who went 9-of-11 from the field for 21 points, his highest scoring output in a game this season, since a 25-point game against Belhaven back on Jan. 13.

In the first half, after facing an early four-point deficit, it was all CTX as they shot over 58% from the floor in the frame and had 11 different players score, aided by Henderson's nine points, while Luis Gonzalez scored eight of his 17 points in the period.

Despite leading for most of the half, CTX only held a slight 39-38 edge over HPU with 2:48 left, but saved their best for last, closing out the half on a 14-4 run.

The run was sparked by back-to-back 3-pointers from Ethan Kieke and capped off by Gonzalez's layup plus the free throw as time expired, and the Tornados headed to the locker room with a 53-42 advantage.

In the second half, CTX continued its hot shooting streak from the field, finishing with a 54% field goal mark in the period.

Howard Payne, though, remained within striking distance, closing the gap to 61-55 with 15:42 to go. The Tornados did not break, producing a quick 14-3 run, finished off by another Gonzalez bucket plus the foul to widen their lead to double-digits again.

Concordia Texas did not look back the rest of the game, taking their largest lead of the night, a 21-point advantage, after a jumper in the paint from Tige Johnson and went on to secure a 101-87 win over the Yellow Jackets.

The Tornados' bench made an impact throughout the night, outscoring HPU's bench 50-20, thanks to the play of Kieke, Johnson and Grant Goosby, who all finished in double figures.

Kieke finished the game 3-of-4 from behind the arc for a season-high 11 points, while Johnson and Goosby each produced 10 points for the night.

Concordia Texas will close out the regular season on Saturday, hosting Sul Ross State at 1 p.m. inside Concordia Fieldhouse. With a win or a McMurry loss, the Tornados will qualify for their ninth-straight American Southwest Conference Tournament.