Men’s basketball surprises NAIA DII top-ranked Embry-Riddle with a 91-85 win

A determined OLLU men’s basketball team surprised Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (ERAU) with a convincing 91-85 win Saturday evening. Despite a less than half-filled Mabee Gym as a result of the end of the semester on Friday, the Saints and the Eagles put on an exciting game featuring the No. 1 ranked NAIA DII team Eagles and the top-rated 3-point shooting team Saints. Head Coach Ryan Wall said, “We played well against a great team. We had lots of energy, especially CJ Martinez. If I had a game ball, I’d give it to him because he played his heart out, throwing his body around diving for balls and scoring a career high 14 points. The rest of the team feeds off that kind of energy, so it was a good performance by everyone.”

The Saints shot 53 percent from the field connecting on 32-of-60, 56 percent from 3-point range making 10-of-18 and 77 percent from the free-throw line making 17-of-22. The Saints ended with 20 turnovers, while forcing 25. Xavier Roberson was the Saints high scorer after he finished with 27 points, 22 of which were scored in the second half. He made 7-of-14 from the field, 4-of-7 from 3-point range and 9-of-9 free throws. Martinez scored a career-high 14 points, including 6-of-10 from the field and 2-of-3 3-pointers. De’Quentin Greer scored 12 points, and Brock Hunter finished with 10 points. In addition, the men beat Southwest last Thursday 102-82. The Saints will have to wait 21 days for their next game. They will play NCAA Division I University of the Incarnate Word on Jan. 4 in San Antonio. Game time is scheduled for 4 p.m. Read full story online.