Sports – Page 20 – Lake Weekly

Women’s Basketball Downs Lady Stallions

The Our Lady of the Lake (OLLU) women’s basketball team led for 38 minutes on Thursday night as they took down North American University (NAU) in Red River Athletic Conference action. The Saints snapped a 10-game losing streak with an impressive performance, defeating the Lady Stallions, 83-70 in front of their home crowd in Mabee Gymnasium.

After trailing in the first two minutes, a bucket from Carlea Owens and triple from Samantha Fields gave the Saints the lead and they never looked back. Julia Plata was on fire in the opening frame as she scored 14 consecutive points for the Saints, including a 4-of-6 mark from long distance, giving the Saints a 19-11 advantage heading into the second quarter.

Six different Saints scored in the second quarter as OLLU continued to control the game, despite getting outscored 19-13 in the frame. Plata and Fields each hit a three while Owens pulled down four rebounds and scored two points in the quarter. The Lady Stallions silenced the Saints offense over the last five minutes of the quarter, allowing just three points during the stretch. OLLU took a 32-30 lead into the break.

The Fields and Plata duo struck again early in the third quarter as they each hit a triple to extend the Saints’ lead to 38-30. Later in the quarter, Plata hit back-to-back threes to give OLLU a double-digit lead and Owens scored the final four points of the quarter to give OLLU a 56-43 lead with 10 minutes to play.

Owens and the Saints poured it on the Lady Stallions in the fourth quarter as the sophomore netted 13 points and pulled down five rebounds. Nine of her 13 came by way of the free throw line. Isabella Jaramillo added eight points in the quarter, all coming from the free throw line. Jaramillo finished with 10 points.

Alexandra Westerdijk Martin filled up the stat sheet in the win, scoring 10 points and pulling down 14 rebounds.

Plata finished the night with 28 points while Owens added 21 to go with 14 rebounds.

The OLLU defense forced NAU into 25 turnovers.

Up Next

OLLU will return to action on Saturday, February 1 as they host Huston-Tillotson University inside Mabee Gymnasium. Tipoff is set for 1:00 p.m.

For the latest news, updates, and information on the OLLU Saints, fans can visit ollusaintsathletics.com. Fans can also stay up to date on the latest Saints news by following @ollusaintsathletics on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Malik White Breaks Own Record at FasTrak Collegiate Invitational

The Our Lady of the Lake (OLLU) men’s indoor track & field team participated in the FasTrak Collegiate Invitational on Saturday at the University of Houston, their first meet of the New Year.

Malik White broke a school record on his way to a first place finish in the 60m hurdle finals. White who held the previous record, crossed the finish line in 7.99 which is currently the third best time in the NAIA.

Two Saints finished in the top five in the 600y race as Boaz Nyandega placed second with a time of 1:16.24 and Justin Gould with a time of 1:18.41

To view full meet results, click HERE

Up Next

The Saints will return to action this weekend as they participate in the New Mexico Team Open at the University of New Mexico. Action will begin on Friday, January 31 and wrap up on Saturday, February 1.

Lawren Tanner Hits National B-Standard with School Record Long Jump

The Our Lady of the Lake (OLLU) women’s indoor track & field team participated in the FasTrak Collegiate Invitational on Saturday at the University of Houston, their first meet of the New Year.

Lawren Tanner was impressive in her first meet of the year as the junior hit the NAIA National B-standard in the long jump with a mark of 5.61m. The jump also set the OLLU indoor school record.

To view full meet results, click HERE

Up Next

Men’s Soccer Announces 2025 ID Camp Dates

Our Lady of the Lake University (OLLU) men’s soccer announces the 2025 College ID Camp dates. Each of the all-day camps will take place at the OLLU Soccer Field located at 411 S.W. 24th St.

Dates are Sunday, April 13; Sunday, June 15; Sunday, Aug. 10; and Sunday, Dec. 14.

This camp is presented by OLLU Soccer Head Coach Shane Hurley and Assistant Coach Jesus Cortes.

Tentative ID Camp Schedule (Schedule subject to change)

9:30 a.m. – 10:00 a.m. – Check-in
10:00 a.m. – 10:15 a.m. – Training sessions with Coach Hurley and Coach Cortes
11:00 a.m. – 11:50 a.m. – Small-sided games
12:00 p.m. – 1:15 p.m. – Lunch with coaching staff (Lunch provided)
1:15 p.m. – 11 v 11 games
3:30 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. – Q&A session with coaching staff (Parents welcome for this session)

Each of the all-day camps is $100. For more information and to register, click here. This online registration must be completely filled out and submitted before participation. For additional information, contact Coach Cortes at jhcortes@ollusa.edu or 210-445-3095.

Men’s Basketball Earns Conference Win Over XULA

The Our Lady of the Lake (OLLU) men’s basketball team earned a much-needed Red River Athletic Conference (RRAC) game on Saturday night as they took down Xavier University of Louisiana by a score of 64-59. The win moves the Saints to 14-4 overall and 10-4 in RRAC play.

Matthew Gonzalez opened the scoring for the Saints, knocking down a triple on OLLU’s first possession of the game. Gonzalez, who saw his first start of the season today, took advantage of the opportunity as the sophomore played 32 minutes and scored nine points with all nine coming from three-pointers.

Kenyon Elliot also provided productive minutes in his second start of the season as the junior scored seven points and dished out a game-high seven assists.

The Saints turned defense into offense early on as Wahkil Lopez denied an XULA layup attempt and the Saints got out in transition. Lonzo Rand found Breion Powell who spotted up for a triple and knocked it down, giving OLLU 14-5 lead and forcing XULA to call its first timeout of the contest. OLLU continued to maintain its lead despite the Gold Nuggets doing enough to stay within striking distance. With 6:49 to play, the Saints picked up some momentum and attempted to distance themselves from the Gold Nuggets. OLLU extended their lead to as many as eight points over those final six minutes, but XULA managed to keep themselves in the game. After 20 minutes of play, OLLU led 33-28.

OLLU shot 50 percent from the floor and from long distance in the opening half while holding XULA to just 32 percent from the floor.

Breion Powell nearly had a double-double in the first half with 10 points and eight rebounds.

XULA scored the first five points of the half to tie the game at 33 apiece. The Saints netted the next five points, capped off by an and-one from Powell. The Saints would once again build their lead to eight points but just as they did in the first half, the Gold Nuggets had answers and kept OLLU from building upon their lead. With just over five minutes to go in the game and the Saints leading by eight, XULA went on a short 5-0 run to make it a one possession game.

With 70 seconds on the clock, a pair of XULA free throws made it a one-point game, but when the Saints needed a bucket, they turned offense into defense once again. A Lonzo Rand steal turned into a Kenyon Elliot layup with 23 seconds to go, giving OLLU a three point lead. Lopez put his stamp on the game with a thunderous two-handed dunk off the assist from Powell with three seconds left.

Powell reached the double-double, finishing with 23 points and 14 rebounds, both of which were game-highs. Arthur Celestin pulled down 10 rebounds while Lopez finished with five points, five rebounds, and three blocks.

OLLU will hit the road next week for a pair of RRAC contest starting Thursday, January 16 at Jarvis Christian University.

For the latest news, updates, and information on the OLLU Saints, fans can visit ollusaintsathletics.com. Fans can also stay up to date on the latest Saints news by following on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Men’s Basketball Stumbles at Texarkana

The Our Lady of the Lake (OLLU) men’s basketball team falls to 15-5 overall and 11-5 in Red River Athletic Conference (RRAC) action after a loss to Texas A&M-Tearkana on Saturday afternoon. The Saints shot just 29% from the field and turned the ball over 23 times in the loss. The Texarkana victory earned them a season split after the Saints earned an 95-80 win in Mabee Gymnasium in November.

By the Numbers

Trey Law, who missed the last three games, led all scorers with 23 points including a 12-of-14 clip from the free throw line.
Beion Powell registered a double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds. His third double-double of the season.
Rob Gil chipped in with nine points to go with four steals, three assists, and three rebounds.
OLLU won the rebound battle by a slim margin, finishing with 35 to the 34 from the Eagles.
The Saints had 48 free throw attemps, their second most attempts of the season and converted 36 of their attempts. Their most attempts were 49 which came in their previous game against the Eagles.

Up Next

OLLU will return to Mabee Gymnasium for a three game homestand beginning Saturday, January 25 against Texas College.

Saints Fall on the Road to Eagles

Struggles continued for the Our Lady of the Lake (OLLU) women’s basketball team on Saturday as they fell to Texas A&M-Texarkana by a score of 75-30. The Saints fall to 4-13 overall and 4-12 in Red River Athletic Conference (RRAC) play.

By the Numbers

Isabella Jaramillo led the Saints with nine points to go along with three steals.
Carlea Owens added eight points and pulled down five rebounds.
Kennedy Villalpando was a perfect 2-of-2 from the field and 2-of-2 from the free throw line for six points.
Amya Miller-Singleton chipped in with five points.
OLLU recorded 12 steals on 19 Texarkana turnovers.

Up Next

OLLU will return to Mabee Gymnasium for a three game homestand beginning Saturday, January 25 against Texas College.

Baseball Picked Fifth in RRAC Preseason Poll

The Our Lady of the Lake (OLLU) baseball team was picked to finish fifth in the 2025 Red River Athletic Conference (RRAC) poll that was released by the league on Tuesday. The Saints earned 72 votes and tied with Texas A&M-Texarkana who also earned 72 votes. The Saints ended the 2024 season with a 28-24 overall record and a 16-14 mark in RRAC play, good enough for a sixth-place regular season finish.

LSU Shreveport earned the top spot in the poll with 121 votes while taking all 11 first-place nods.

OLLU will open its 2025 season on January 24th as they welcome the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma to the Missions Baseball academy. After playing their first 11 games at home, the Saints will travel across Culebra to take on St. Mary’s University. RRAC play will behin at home on February 14 against LSU Shreveport.

See below for the full preseason poll.

Rank	School	Points
1.	LSU Shreveport (11)	121
2.	Houston-Victoria	104
3.	Louisiana Christian	96
4.	LSU Alexandria	92
5.	Our Lady of the Lake	72
6.	Texas A&M-Texarkana	72
7.	Southwest	57
8.	Jarvis Christian	36
9.	Huston-Tillotson	34
10.	Xavier	29
11.	Texas College	13

Preseason poll voting was submitted by each of the head coaches. Results of the poll are shown below with points calculated through an 11-10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 format. First place votes are shown in parentheses.

Softball Picked to Win 2025 RRAC Title

The Our Lady of the Lake (OLLU) softball team earned 118 total points and eight of 11 possible first-place votes in the 2025 Red River Athletic Conference (RRAC) preseason poll released on Tuesday. The defending NAIA National Champions finished the 2024 campaign with a 57-3 overall record and a perfect 24-0 mark in RRAC action. Two of the Saints’ three losses came from LSU Alexandria (LSUA) in the RRAC Tournament. LSUA was picked to finish right behind the Saints in 2025 and received the other three first-place votes.

OLLU will open its 2025 slate on January 31 as they host Evangel (MO) in a doubleheader. The Saints will play their first 13 games at home before opening up RRAC action on the road at Huston-Tillotson on February 24.

See below for the complete RRAC preseason poll.

Rank	School	Points
1.	Our Lady of the Lake (8)	118
2.	LSU Alexandria (3)	112
3.	Houston-Victoria	97
4.	Louisiana Christian	82
5.	Texas A&M-Texarkana	76
6.	Texas A&M-San Antonio	74
7.	Xavier	47
8.	Southwest	40
9.	Texas College	33
10.	Jarvis Christian	29
11.	Huston-Tillotson	18

Men’s basketball downs TAMUSA 100-72

The men’s basketball team defeated Texas A&M University-San Antonio (TAMUSA) 100-72 on Dec. 12. The Saints jump to 11-1 overall and 7-1 in the Red River Athletic Conference (RRAC). The Jaguars fall to 4-7 overall and 3-5 in the RRAC.

Head Coach Marcus Thompson said, “I’m really happy and proud of the way we responded after a bad loss. We did a great job of getting back to Saints basketball. The way the ball was moving and we were trusting each other was great to see. I’m happy with the way we played and now it’s about being consistent. We have some tough games coming up next and I’m looking forward to the challenge.”

History
This was the first meeting between the two teams. This is the Jaguars inaugural season.

Offensive/defensive standouts
Breion Powell led the Saints with 16 points. Powell also assisted on seven plays. Arthur Celestin grabbed five rebounds.

Inside the box
OLLU combined for 37-of-60 shooting for 61.7 percent, 9-of-19 from three-point range for 47.4 percent, and 17-of-28 from the free-throw line for 60.7 percent. The Saints grabbed 30 rebounds and assisted on 23 plays.