AUSTIN, Texas - The Concordia Texas men's basketball team overcame a slow start for an 86-71 victory over the University of the Ozarks. Luis Gonzalez, DJ Pigford & Donovan Stafford combined for 67 points, while the Tornados' defense forced a season-best 31 turnovers inside the Concordia Fieldhouse on Saturday. The 31 forced turnovers for the Tornados was the most since January 4, 2018 against Belhaven (37).

The Ozarks raced out to a 16-9 lead in the first five minutes. Concordia chipped away at the deficit to make it a two-point game, but another run by the Eagles gave them a 37-27 advantage with 3:36 left in the half. From that point on, Concordia would utilize the full court press to make it a 39-37 game heading into the break. 

Continuing the pressure, Concordia finally reclaimed the lead at 51-49 when Stafford knocked down all three of his free throws after being fouled. They would then cap off a 14-0 flurry after Corey Thompson earned one of his career-high six steals and found Gonzalez for the score. CTX would never look back as their lead would reach as much as 17 points in the final minutes to secure the victory. 

Concordia Texas will now hit the road for Abilene where they will take on McMurry University next Thursday at 7:30 p.m.

BOX SCORE STANDOUTS
Donovan Stafford 25 Pts, 8 Reb, 5 Ast
DJ Pigford 23 Pts, 6 Ast, 4 Stls
Luis Gonzalez 19 Pts, 2 Stls
Corey Thompson 8 Pts, 6 Stls, 4 Reb
Henri Marcus Vizcarrondo Jr. 5 Blks
Bench Points - CTX 36, UO 9

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