SAN ANTONIO (Feb. 22, 2023) – The Our Lady of the Lake University (OLLU) men's basketball team will battle in the Red River Athletic Conference (RRAC) Championship Tournament starting on Friday. The Saints bring a 13-15 overall record and 8-12 conference mark into the postseason. Head Coach Chris Dial returned for his fifth season, while former player Marcus Thompson entered his second year as assistant coach.

The Saints' offense impressed in the first month of the season. Their three wins in November were backed by triple-digit scoring. They defeated Texas Wesleyan University (TWU) 119-117 on the road in a thrilling four-overtime game on Nov. 5. The Saints were 3-2 heading into the first conference game of the season on Dec. 1. They faced defending RRAC champions LSU-Shreveport (LSUS) and lost 86-73. OLLU finished December competitions with a 4-4 record following the loss. The second half of the season was a rollercoaster for the team. The games in January were decided by an average margin of 7.4 points. The Saints enter the postseason tournament on a six-game losing streak after falling in all February matchups.

OLLU is the No. 7 seed in the tournament. The men will face No. 2-seed Texas A&M University-Texarkana (TAMUT). The Eagles downed the Saints in both matchups this season. Texarkana went 14-6 in conference play and 21-7 overall. OLLU is 1-3 against the Eagles in the series' history. The Eagles boast two of the top five scorers in the conference, and Colby Rasberry led from three-point range at 51.8 percent.

Six other teams are competing in the postseason tournament. LSUS was awarded the first seed and is ranked No. 17 in the NAIA. Xavier University of Louisiana (XULA) is the third seed, followed by LSU-Alexandria (LSUA) at fourth, Louisiana Christian University (LCU) at fifth, University of the Southwest (USW) at sixth and Jarvis Christian University (JCU) at eighth.

The quarterfinal games begin on Friday with the following format:

No. 4-seeded LSUA vs. No. 5-seeded LCU (8 a.m.)

No. 3-seeded XULA vs. No. 6-seeded USW (9:45 a.m.)

No. 2-seeded TAMUT vs. No. 7-seeded OLLU (11:30 a.m.)

No. 1-seeded LSUS vs. No. 8-seeded JCU (1:15 p.m.)

The semifinals will be between the winners of the second game and third game, followed by those who prevail in the first and fourth games. Both semifinal matchups are on Saturday, with the championship game being played on Sunday. The tournament is hosted by LSUA at the Rapides Coliseum in Alexandria, La.

The Saints were solid from three-point range by ranking eighth in the NAIA at 39.2 percent shooting. Ruben Monzon led the team with 15.9 points and 7.3 rebounds per game. OLLU was able to draw fouls at an impressive rate and ranked in the top 30 of the NAIA with 21.4 free throw attempts per game.