OLLU Saints Men’s Basketball – Page 3

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.

Men’s basketball loses close games to St. Gregory’s and USAO

Christian Wood-Dvorak shoots a 3-pointer.

The men’s basketball team lost two close games this weekend at the St. Gregory’s University (SGU) Classic. On Friday, the Saints lost 91-93 to St. Gregory’s and Saturday, the team lost to the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma (USAO) 84-89. The losses drop the Saints to 3-5 overall, while SGU improves to 8-0 and USAO to 3-4. Saints sophomore Christian Wood-Dvorak finished with his first double-double scoring 18 points and adding 13 rebounds in the first game. Roberson added 22 points, but he left the game after playing 18 minutes due to foul trouble. Dylan Elias scored 17 points for the Saints adding seven assists. In the game against USAO, the Saints fought through the second half coming as close as one point with two and a half minutes left in the game. USAO kept the momentum and beat the Saints 89-84 not allowing the Saints to lead at all in the second period. The Saints committed 13 turnovers while forcing 19. Roberson scored 24 points, while Terence Berry added 17. OLLU will begin its Red River Athletic Conference schedule on Dec. 6 against Langston University in Langston, Okla. The Saints will then play conference opponent Bacone College on Dec. 7 in Muskogee, Okla. Read full story online.

OLLU men’s basketball loses close game to MidAmerica Nazarene

Marcus Thompson scored a career-high 21 points during the game.

The men’s basketball lost its home opener against NAIA No. 15-ranked MidAmerica Nazarene University (MNU) 99-97 before an enthusiastic Mabee Gymnasium. The Saints drop to 1-3, while MNU improves to 6-0. Head Coach Ryan Wall said, “The kids played hard, but we made some mental mistakes and the ball just wasn’t falling in for us when we needed it to. But MidAmerica is a good team with a coach who will be in the Hall of Fame one day. The game was a good practice for us to get ready for conference.” Saints’ senior captain Marcus Thompson scored a career-high 21 points, including 8-of-12 from the field and 5-of-5 from the free throw line. He added eight rebounds, eight assists and two steals. Xavier Roberson scored 29 points consisting of 8-of-12 field goals, 4-of-7 field goals and 9-of-12 free throws. Dylan Elias scored 20 points for the Saints to include 8-of-14 from the field and 4-of-9 from 3-point range. The Saints committed 12 turnovers while forcing 23.

The Saints will return to Mabee Gym next Friday and Saturday to host their third annual Halo Classic. On Nov. 22, Northwood University will face the University of St. Thomas at 5:30 p.m. At 7:30 p.m., the Saints will play Texas Wesleyan University. On Nov. 23, St. Thomas will play Texas Wesleyan and at 4 p.m., the Saints will play Northwood. Read more online.

Men’s basketball drops both games in Small College Tip-Off

Bridge Lavey hits a 3-pointer during the game against Evangel.

The men’s basketball opened its season this weekend at the Small College Tip-Off Classic. The NAIA’s No. 24-ranked Saints lost 103-95 to the NAIA’s No. 9-ranked Evangel University and 87-84 to St. Gregory’s University. The Saints will go back on the road to Fort Worth on Nov. 6 to play Texas Wesleyan University in a nonconference game at 7:30 p.m. OLLU will host its next game on Nov. 15 against MidAmerican Nazarene University at 7:30 p.m. Read more online.

OLLU men’s basketball welcomes 14 new players and returns 4 to 2013-2014 squad

Lance Richardson takes a shot during the scrimmage on Saturday.

The men’s basketball program is in its fifth season, and with just four returning players, the Saints will have an almost entirely new team entering the court, a situation the team has not faced since the start of the program in 2009. The Saints finished last season with an 18-13 overall record and a 14-8 record in the Red River Athletic Conference (RRAC). As the No. 4 seed in the conference, the Saints lost to Texas Wesleyan University, 101-92, in the tournament’s quarterfinal. The Saints have qualified for the playoffs all four years. According to head coach Russell Vanlandingham, the conference had many quality teams last year, with two of them finishing in the top four at the NAIA National Tournament. Read more online.

Boxing legend Jesse James Leija helps OLLU men’s basketball close out preseason

World Boxing Champion Jesse James Leija poses with the men’s basketball team.

The men’s basketball finished its preseason Oct. 4, with a boxing session held by San Antonio boxing legend Jesse James Leija at his ChampionFit Gym. This was the fifth time that the men’s basketball team ended its preseason at Leija’s gym located on San Pedro Avenue in San Antonio. Head Coach Russell Vanlandingham started the tradition five years ago, when he was introduced to Leija by Roy Terracina, chairman of the Board of Trustees of OLLU. Terracina himself has been working out with the two-time world boxing champ for more than 20 years. Terracina worked out alongside the players Friday morning. Vanlandingham hopes that the workout can make his team tougher and play with a different mentality. “Boxing makes you develop a mentality and toughness that we could use,” explained Vanlandingham, “It is also important for the guys to meet a guy like the champ who got the most out of his abilities.” Read more online.