AUSTIN, Texas – DJ Pigford and Donovan Stafford poured in a combined 39 points, leading the way for a comeback effort that came up just short, and the Concordia Texas men's basketball team fell 87-84 at home to Hardin-Simmons on Saturday.
 
Pigford posted 20 points, marking his third 20-plus point performance in the last four games, and Stafford turned in his second double-double of the season with 19 points and 10 rebounds.
 
Luis Gonzalez added 17 points to the Tornados' effort, shooting an efficient 5-of-6 from the field and 6-of-6 from the stripe.
 
The Tornados fell behind by as much as 16 points in the second half, but a late comeback effort brought them back within striking distance, cutting the lead to one point in the final 10 seconds. However, the Cowboys held on, and the Tornados came away with a heartbreaking 87-84 defeat.
 
Stafford led the scoring in the first half with 12 points, keeping CTX within striking distance with his hot shooting.
 
The two teams traded buckets in the opening five minutes as a three-ball from Gonzalez brought the score 8-7, but HSU put together a 13-3 run and took a 21-10 lead with 10:07 left in the half.
 
In a 27-17 hole, the Tornados closed out the half on an 11-5 run behind seven points from Stafford, cutting into the lead and bringing the score to 32-28 at the break.
 
Stafford opened the second half with a pair of jumpers, and a three-pointer from the hand of Sean Phillips gave the Tornados their first lead of the game at 35-34 with 17:54 remaining.
 
Hardin-Simmons responded with an 18-2 stretch before a bucket from Pigford halted the run, bringing the score to 53-39 at 13:37 mark.
 
The Tornados continually chipped away at the lead, and a three-ball from Alex Estrada followed by a fast break bucket from Bobby Espericueta cut the HSU advantage to 75-73 with 2:24 remaining.
 
The Cowboys built their lead back to eight points with 41 seconds to play, but an eight-point flurry from Pigford along with a pair of free throws from Scales gave the Tornados a chance, bringing the score to 85-84 with a second remaining.
 
A quick foul resulted in two HSU free throws, and a last-second heave from half court failed to hit the mark, closing out the game in heartbreaking fashion. Ultimately, the Tornados fell 87-84.
 
The Tornados will have a chance to stop their four-game skid on Thursday, traveling to UT Dallas for their first of four straight games away from home. The road trip will begin in Richardson, Texas with a 7:30 tip against the Comets.