Tag: OLLU Saints Men’s Basketball

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.

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.

Men’s basketball defeats Southwest in overtime for first conference victory

Hear from Head Coach Chris Dial and watch highlights.

The men’s basketball team earned its first Red River Athletic Conference (RRAC) win of the season with a 105-98 overtime victory versus the University of the Southwest (USW). The Saints improve to 6-9 overall and 1-4 in the RRAC. The Mustangs fall to 6-8 overall and 2-2 in conference play.

History

The Saints were 18-6 against USW in the all-time series prior to the game today.

Basics

The first half was very competitive on both sides. The Saints held a slight lead until five minutes remaining when Southwest battled back for a five-point advantage. OLLU responded and tied the game 45-45 just before halftime with a tip-in by Cedric Cook (FR/Houston, Texas). The Saints shot 51.7 percent from the field backed by 14 points from Ruben Monzon (SR/San Diego, Calif.). The Mustangs also shot well from the field at 50 percent. Both teams shot 12-of-14 from the free-throw line.

There were multiple lead changes in the second half and the last two minutes were intense. The Saints led by six points with less than a minute remaining. Pearce Mack made a layup for the Mustangs, but Oscar Maldonado (JR/Greeley, Colo.) made two free throws after USW was forced to foul. The Saints’ six-point lead was quickly diminished to three with a three-point shot from Khaire Williams with 13 seconds left. Williams hit another three-point bucket with less than 10 seconds to send the game to overtime.

The Saints used the Mustangs’ comeback to fuel an impressive overtime frame. OLLU jumped out to a six-point advantage with just more than one minute left. The Mustangs were forced to foul and the Saints stayed disciplined at the free-throw line to close out a 105-98 victory.

Offensive/defensive standouts

Monzon led the Saints with 29 points, followed by Joseph Anderson (SR/Houston, Texas) with 15. Jordan Embry (SR/Paris, Texas) grabbed a team-high 11 rebounds and added 13 points to earn a double-double. Anderson also led the team with four assists.

USW was led by Tae Brown with 20 points. Brown also led the Mustangs with eight rebounds. Latarryus Smith contributed a team-high three assists.

Inside the box

OLLU combined for 34-of-75 shooting for 45.3 percent, 5-of-20 from three-point range for 25 percent and 32-of-42 from the free-throw line for 76.2 percent.

USW combined for 37-of-71 from the field for 52.1 percent, 9-of-23 three-pointers for 39.1 percent and 15-of-20 from the charity stripe for 75 percent.

The Saints grabbed 41 rebounds while the Mustangs gathered 43. OLLU forced 22 turnovers and committed 13.

Up next

The Saints face Jarvis Christian College at home on Jan. 22 at 4 p.m.

Attendance policy for home basketball games

The Athletic Department has announced that all basketball games during January will be closed to visiting spectators.

Scheduled games are listed here:
Jan. 13, 5:30/7:30 p.m. – vs. Paul Quinn College
Jan. 15, 2/4 p.m. – vs. University of the Southwest
Jan. 22, 2/4 p.m. – vs. Jarvis Christian College
 

Home fans will be allowed entrance in limited capacities, but they must be placed on a pass list by members of the team no later than Wednesday at 3 p.m. before that week’s home games. Home fans will be required to wear a mask and social distance themselves from others who are not in their group. They can arrive and be admitted to the game 15 minutes before the start of the game.

In addition, home fans for basketball games will be required to exit the facilities immediately after each game has concluded using the side doors of the gymnasium. This will allow a quick exit and set up a clean entry for fans for the next game. Fans will not be permitted to congregate in the University Wellness and Activities Center (UWAC) halls before or afterward. Home fans for the men’s team can arrive up to 15 minutes before game time. After the game, they also will be asked to leave and will not be allowed to congregate afterward.

All home spectators, along with members of the opposing teams, will be screened and have their temperature taken before entering the UWAC.

For the convenience of fans of opponents and home team fans unable to attend, the university will continue to live-stream home games for free here: https://portal.stretchinternet.com/ollusaints/.

Joseph Anderson selected as conference Men’s Basketball Player of the Week

Joseph Anderson (SR/Houston, Texas) earned recognition as the Red River Athletic Conference (RRAC) Men’s Basketball Player of the Week for his play over the dates of Oct. 25-31. This is the first conference award of the 2021-2022 men’s basketball season.

Anderson accounted for 21 points and six rebounds as the Saints won their season opener, 103-90, over Southwestern Christian University. The senior guard from Houston was 5-of-9 from the field including a pair of three-pointers. Anderson was also 9-of-10 from the free-throw line. 

Marcus Thompson returns to OLLU as men’s basketball assistant coach

Men’s basketball team is delighted to welcome back Marcus Thompson – an OLLU alumnus and four-year student-athlete – as assistant coach. He replaces three-year Assistant Coach Dustin Karrer, who is the new head coach at Brentwood Christian School in Austin, Texas.

Head Coach Chris Dial said, “Coach Karrer was a huge part of what we wanted to accomplish when coming to OLLU, and he is still part of our family. As tough as it is to lose someone so integral to what we are doing, we feel extremely fortunate to be able to bring on Marcus Thompson.”

Thompson comes to OLLU after the head-coaching position at Coastal Bend College in Beeville, Texas. He became the head coach at the junior college in 2019, and before that, he was the assistant coach there for one season. While at Coastal Bend, Thompson also was part of the faculty teaching business computer information systems, and he was an academic adviser.

“It is an honor and privilege to be able to come back home to Our Lady of the Lake University – a place that has really been the foundation for all the success I have had in my career,” Thompson commented. “I would like to thank President Dr. [Diane] Melby, Athletic Director Shane Hurley and Coach Chris Dial for the tremendous opportunity to be able to come back and be a coach here at OLLU. Our Lady of the Lake men’s basketball has been able to accomplish and do a lot of great things, and I am hoping to be able to come in and contribute to the success of the program.”

At OLLU from 2010-2014, Thompson led the men’s basketball team to a 2011-2012 Red River Athletic Conference Regular Season Championship, runner up at the postseason tournament and a round of 16 finish at the NAIA National Tournament. In 2010-2011, the team was postseason semifinalists; in 2012-2013, the Saints were postseason quarterfinalists; and in 2013-2014, the men finished as postseason semifinalists.

Thompson’s accolades included National Association of Basketball Coaches Honors Court recipient, All-Conference, Red River Athletic Conference (RRAC) Defensive Player of the Year, three-time RRAC Scholar-Athlete. Thompson holds several records that still stand today: most games played (128), most assists (630), most steals (315), season-best assists average (7.1), season most steals (131) and season-best steals average (4.1). Thompson also owns the record for the most steals in a game at OLLU and throughout the NAIA, with 15 in a game against Paul Quinn College in 2014.

“Coach Thompson is an excellent young coach and is a product of the university and city he’ll be serving,” Dial said. “Our players are lucky to be around a man of his character and caliber. He will bring an extraordinary passion, work ethic and energy to our team.”

Before his time at Coastal Bend, Thompson was the head coach for the UC Hoops – Adidas Gauntlet Program and head coach at Great Hearts Monte Vista. Before that, he was an accountant at the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio.

Thompson received his Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting in May 2014 and his Master of Business Administration in Management in 2016 – both from OLLU.

He and his wife Julie – an OLLU alumna and four-year Saints’ softball student-athlete –are parents to two boys.

Michael Saladin signs with Swedish basketball club Hammarby Basket

Former guard Michael Saladin has signed a professional contract to play with Hammarby Basket in Stockholm, Sweden.

Hammarby competes in the Basketettan Södra, which is a league comprised of 23 teams. The program exercises and plays training games throughout the year.

Saladin looks to the future saying, “It’s crazy to see where basketball can take you. I’m thankful God has allowed me to have this great opportunity to continue my career and experience a different part of the world!” He originally planned to play overseas following his career at OLLU in 2020, but the COVID-19 pandemic delayed his departure.

Saladin penciled his name in the record books both on and off the court for the Saints from 2018-2020. He ranks first among all Saints players with a career .464 three-point percentage and second in free-throw percentage at .839. Saladin was honored as Top Saint for the men’s basketball team following his junior season in 2018-2019.

Head Coach Chris Dial joined the Saints coaching staff the same year Saladin started. Dial said, “We are really proud of Mike and all that he’s accomplished. I am especially proud of the patience and resilience he has shown as the pandemic halted the overseas professional markets. I have had friends in the Hammarby Club for years, so seeing Mike go there to compete is like watching one family member join another. This opportunity is a testimony to the work he’s put in and the manner in which he did it. Our program is behind him and we wish him continued success.”

OLLU men’s basketball signs forward Joshua Santos from Cincinnati State

OLLU men’s basketball announced the signing of Joshua Santos, a 6’8″ junior combo forward from London, England.
Santos played the 2015-2016 season for the Cincinnati State Surge of the National Junior College Athletic Association in the Ohio Community College Athletic Conference (OCCAC). As a sophomore, he averaged 11.3 points and 7.0 rebounds in 25.8 minutes per game, shooting 46.2 percent overall and 40.4 percent from behind the 3-point line and was the OCCAC Player of the Week for the week ending Feb. 21. During his freshman year, Santos played at Ancilla College, where he was named third team all-conference in the Michigan Community College Athletic Association. Read full story online.