TYLER, TEXAS (Dec. 4, 2023) – The Our Lady of the Lake University (OLLU) men's basketball team was outplayed against Texas College (TC) on Saturday 75-67. The Saints drop to 3-5 overall and 0-2 in the Red River Athletic Conference (RRAC). The Steers improve to 6-3 overall and 2-1 in conference play.

Head Coach Chris Dial commented, "We took too long to respond after falling behind. We are in a habit of starting slow and bad first halves. There is lots to improve on before our game on Saturday. Xavier Purnell provided a good spark off the bench."

History

The Saints were 17-8 against the Steers prior to the matchup.

Basics

The Saints struggled in the first half against the Steers. Texas College shot over 50 percent from both the field and three-point range. The Steers also forced seven turnovers and had three steals. Trey Law had seven points and Daniel Helterhoff totaled four rebounds. The Saints trailed by 11 points heading into the break.

OLLU's offense came alive in the second frame, but the deficit was too large to overcome. The squad hit 57.7 percent of field goals and 4-of-8 three pointers. Law and Rob Gil both had double-digit points while Olivier Yannis Borgol snatched four rebounds. The Saints came within eight points of the lead with just over two minutes left but failed to complete a comeback. The Steers won 75-67 and the Saints will look for their first conference victory on Saturday.

Offensive/defensive standouts

Law led the Saints with 20 points. Helterhoff and Borgol had six rebounds each. Three Saints players tallied three assists apiece.

Qyrique Dabon led TC with 14 points. Three Steers players grabbed five rebounds apiece.

Inside the box

OLLU combined for 25-of-51 shooting for 49 percent, 7-of-16 from three-point range for 43.8 percent and 10-of-15 from the free-throw line for 66.7 percent. TC shot 28-of-54 for 51.9 percent, 3-of-8 three pointers for 37.5 percent and 16-of-21 from the free-throw line for 76.2 percent.

The Saints grabbed 26 rebounds while the Steers collected 30. OLLU committed 13 turnovers and forced 11.

Up next

The Saints head to Austin, Texas, to take on Huston-Tillotson University on Dec. 9 at 4 p.m.