CLARKSVILLE, Ark. – Luis Gonzalez and DJ Pigford combined for 49 points, but the Concordia Texas men's basketball fell short, suffering a 91-88 defeat to Ozarks on Saturday.
 
In a game that saw the two teams trade runs, CTX was unable to get the better of Ozarks. Despite battling back to even the score with just under five minutes remaining, the Tornados could not complete their comeback effort as the Eagles outlasted CTX in the final minutes.
 
Gonzalez posted 26 points, just one shy of his career mark, and added five rebounds and three assists to his stat line. Pigford recorded a new career high with 23 points along with grabbing six rebounds and dishing out six assists.
 
In the first half, the Tornados took an early 15-7 lead after Antoine Henderson flushed home a dunk at the 15:24 mark. Gonzalez poured in five points and Zaid Harris added four, leading the way in the opening five minutes.
 
However, Ozarks provided an answer, taking a 22-21 lead with ten minutes remaining, and the Eagles held the advantage for the remainder of the first half.
 
Gonzalez scored his first 10 points in the opening half, and the Tornados' two big men, Antoine Henderson and Tige Johnson, added eight points each. However, the Tornados trailed 44-40 heading into the break.
 
Pigford and Gonzalez took over in the second half, supplying 18 and 16 points, respectively. Trevon Hester also provided a spark off the bench, adding eight points on 3-of-5 shooting in the half.
 
The Tornados kept pace with the Eagles at the start of the half, eventually breaking through to tie the game at 53-53 thanks to a three-pointer from Pigford with 16:23 remaining.
 
Another bucket from Pigford with 13:45 to go gave the Tornados a 58-57 advantage, marking their first lead since the 10:17 mark in the first half, but the Eagles recovered and took back the lead. With 8:03 on the clock, UO had extended their lead to 73-63.
 
However, Hester led the Tornados back, scoring seven unanswered points to bring the score to 73-70 with 6:07 remaining. With CTX back in striking distance, they were unable to make up ground, and a finish in the paint from Gonzalez evened the score a 77-77 with 4:56 to play.
 
Although the Tornados battled back, they were unable to gain the lead, and Ozarks pulled away down the stretch. At the final buzzer, the Tornados fell 91-88 to the Eagles.  
 
The Tornados will look to bounce back when they return to their home floor, hosting McMurry for a 7:30 p.m. tip on Thursday at Concordia Fieldhouse.