Men’s basketball falls to UIW

Xavier Roberson shoots a sky hook in the game against UIW.
Xavier Roberson shoots a sky hook in the game against UIW.

After three weeks since their last game, the Saints finally hit the court this past Saturday only to lose to NCAA D2 University of the Incarnate Word 100-85. The loss drops the Saints to 5-6 overall, while the Cardinals improve to 12-1. Xavier Roberson ended with 23 points for the Saints, including 8-of-22 from the field, 5-of-14 from 3-point range and 2-of-5 from the free-throw line. Christian Wood-Dvorak finished with 13 points, including 4-of-10 from the field, 1-of-3 from 3-point range and 4-of-4 from the charity stripe. Dylan Elias scored 12 points, and Brock Hunter, 10 points. Marcus Thompson added eight assists and six steals. The Saints shot 40 percent from the field (29/74), 27 percent from 3-point range (11/40) and 73 percent from the free-throw line. They committed 17 turnovers while forcing 21. The Saints will return to the court on Jan. 10, when they travel to Houston to play the University of St. Thomas. Read complete story online.

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

MensBB12-16-1A 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.