LONGVIEW, Texas – Donovan Stafford registered his second straight double-double, but his great performance was spoiled as the Concordia Texas men's basketball team fell on the road 85-71 to LeTourneau on Sunday.
 
Stafford put together his third double-double of the season, pouring in 20 points and 11 rebounds to go along with a pair of blocks on the defensive end. This is the freshman's third time hitting the 20-point mark this year, all of which came in the last five games.
 
DJ Pigford turned in a stellar performance as well, scoring 19 points on 5-of-6 shooting from deep and grabbing four boards.
 
The Tornados made their return to the court after schedule changes due to weather, hitting the hardwood for the first time in over a week. The last game came on Jan. 29 when the Tornados took on Hardin-Simmons at home, falling 87-84.
 
Concordia Texas kept pace with the Yellow Jackets through the first half, but the offense was unable to get going in the second half, shooting 25.6% from the field as LETU pulled away.
 
In the first half, Pigford and Stafford led the CTX scoring with nine points each, and Luis Gonzalez added six to the tally, lifting the Tornados to a 39-point output in the period.
 
Six points from Pigford along with a basket from Sean Phillips gave the Tornados a hot start, taking an 8-2 lead before LETU roared back and turned the score in their favor at 12-10 with 14:57 on the clock.
 
The Yellow Jackets led by as much as 11 in the half, but the Tornados recovered, cutting the lead to 29-28 at the 5:54 mark thanks to a three-ball from Adolfo Martinez.
 
Dylen Scales recorded a second-chance basket with 53 seconds to go in the half, cutting the LETU lead to 42-39, but an answer on the other end saw the Tornados enter halftime down 44-39.
 
In the second half, the Tornados struggled to get going on the offensive end, but Pigford, Stafford, and Gonzalez kept CTX afloat, combining for 30 of 32 points in the period.
 
Early offense kept CTX within striking distance in the opening three minutes of the half as a tip-in from Stafford brought the Tornados within one possession a 47-45 with 17:30 remaining.
 
From here, the Yellow Jackets ran away with the lead, and at the 10:46 mark, the Tornados trailed 67-51.
 
Concordia Texas would not cut the lead to single digits until the final minute when a Pigford jumper brought the score to 80-71, and it was too late, the Tornados ultimately falling 85-71.
 
The Tornados will look forward to a chance to bounce back with a quick turnaround, traveling to Richardson, Texas on Monday to take on UT Dallas at 7:30 p.m.