AUSTIN,Texas- The Concordia men's basketball team fought hard in a competitive matchup against Southwestern University in the regular season opener. Second year big man Robert Hall claimed a new program record with 10 blocks, and junior guard DJ Pigford was the top scorer with 27 points Inside Concordia Fieldhouse.
To begin the first half, CTX came out strong with a massive block by Junior guard Donovan Stafford to give Concordia the ball. The CTX defense played with intense aggression, securing five turnovers in the first two minutes of the game. Hall came up with a huge rebound and then laid it up to extend the lead for CTX, 9-4.
About midway into the first half, Concordia continued aggressive play with a clutch shot by freshman forward Almamy Diaby right before the shot clock expired to tie the game up 15-15. .
Hall continued his dominance in the paint securing two big blocks in a row in the last six minutes of the first half with CTX up, 27-25. With only one minute left, Stafford drove hard into the paint for a layup as they entered the intermission up, 47-34.
Stafford continued his excellent performance coming out of second half immediately driving down the court with a hop step into a layup. The matchup started to slow down until a monster block by Hall lit a spark for Concordia. About midway through the second, Gonzalez secured a big steal and down the court to extend the lead, 64-46.
With five minutes left of the game, Concordia continued to stay strong as Pigford marched into the paint for a layup to bring the score to 80-67. Bringing the matchup to a close, Diaby attacked the paint and laid it up as Concordia would cruise to the double-digit victory.
The Concordia men's basketball team will be right back at home to host Southwestern Adventist University on November 13th at 3:00 PM.
BOX SCORE STANDOUTS
Robert Hall - 10 blocks, 9 rebounds, 2 steals
DJ Pigford - 27 points, 5 rebounds, 2 steals
Donovan Stafford - 16 points, 8 rebounds, 3 steals, 3 blocks
Luis Gonzalez - 12 points, 3 rebounds
Points Off Turnovers - CTX 28, SWU 12
Fastbreak Points - CTX 39, SWU 22
