AUSTIN,Texas- The Concordia Texas men's basketball team dominated the second half of the conference opener in an 88-82 victory over the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor. Junior guard Donovan Stafford poured in a game-high 25 points inside the CTX Fieldhouse on Saturday.

The Crusaders came out hot with a 13-2 run. Ibrahima Diallo stopped the bleeding with a bucket that initiated an 11-0 run for Concordia where Luis Gonzalez tied the game at the 13:47 mark. UMHB responded with a 15-2 burst for their largest lead of the game. 

The Tornados would play small ball to close out the final minutes to chip away at the deficit and made it a 44-38 game at the half. Following an and-one bucket Stafford and a technical foul on their opponents, CTX reclaimed the advantage at 54-52 with 14:35 left.

The offense on for both teams was efficient to close out the game with CTX leading 77-74 entering the final media timeout. Concordia finished the game out strong with a jumper in the paint by Diallo shutting the door on UMHB for a 84-77 advantage with 1:44 left. The Tornados would go on to fend off their foes and win the game. 

Concordia Texas will continue home play and host East Texas Baptist University this Thursday, December 7th at 7:30 p.m.

BOX SCORE STANDOUTS
Donovan Stafford 25 Pts, 5 Rebs, 1 Blk
Luis Gonzalez 20 Pts, 4 Rebs, 4 Stls, 2 Ast
Ibrahima Diallo 10 Pts, 9 Rebs
Robert Hall 11 Pts, 3 Reb, 2 Blks
Dylen Scales 10 Pts, 3 Ast, 2 Stls

To keep up-to-date with everything surrounding the CTX men's basketball program, follow us on social media (@ctxathletics) and visit athletics.concordia.edu.