SHERMAN, Texas – The Austin College men’s basketball team overcame a double-digit halftime deficit to topple the No. 12-ranked University of Texas-Dallas 79-77 in overtime on Sunday in the team’s season opener.  Kola Alade led four ’Roos in double figures with 15 points in the victory. 

The ’Roos got off to a fast start when Spencer Burke scored just four seconds into the game and added a follow dunk at the 17:51 mark to make it a 6-1 game early, and after the Comets battled back to tie the game at 8-8 the ’Roos got threes from Kyle Lintelman and Nick Wade to push it to a 14-10 game with 13:42 left in the half.  The ’Roos extended to a 26-17 lead with 6:04 to play when Wade hit his third three pointer of the half. 

However, the Comets would answer with a 10-0 run capped off by a three from Jordan Eppink to take a 27-26 lead with 4:04 left before the break but Lintelman would respond with a trey of his own and Taylor Beatty would add a layup to make it a 31-27 game in favor of Austin College.  The lead would not last for long though as UTD outscored the ’Roos 11-4 over the final three minutes to head into the locker room leading 38-35. 

Chris Sturtevant scored early in the second half to cut it to one, but Jimmy Witten, Brandon Greene, Jared Fleming and Eppink would combine to score all 14 points in a 14-4 run to push it from a 38-37 game to a 52-41 lead for UTD with 13:34 to play.  Wade would add another three to get it back to single digits, but Eppink’s dunk with 7:36 on the clock pushed it back to a 10 point lead for UTD. 

Back to back threes from Sturtevant and Scott Straley quickly cut it to a four point game and Alade’s three from the corner with 2:28 to go in regulation tied things at 65.  Fleming knocked down a three to give the lead back to UTD, but Straley answered immediately with a trey of his own to tie things back up with 1:37 on the clock. 

Witten scored to give the lead back to UTD and two free throws from Scott Rodgers pushed it to a 72-68 game with 36 seconds remaining, but Lintelman completed a three point play to cut it to one and after Greene hit 1-of-2 from the line, Alade drove in for an uncontested layup after a UTD defender fell down to tie things at 73 and send the game into overtime. 

The ’Roos jumped on top 76-73 on a three pointer from Sturtevant and Lintelman added a layup to make it a 78-73 game with 1:34 to go in overtime and the ’Roos would not look back, holding off the Comets for the two point victory. 

Alade hit 7-of-12 from the field to finish with 15 points and added six assists, four rebounds and three steals to lead the ’Roos.  Lintelman added 13 points and a career-best eight steals, while Wade came off the bench hit 4-of-6 from deep to finish with 12 points and Straley hit 5-of-10 from the field and 2-of-4 from deep to finish with 12 more points off the bench.  The ’Roos had 21 assists against just 13 turnovers as a team while forcing the Comets into 21 turnovers. 

Witten hit 7-of-7 from the field and 8-of-12 from the free throw line to finish with a game-high 22 points and 13 rebounds, Rodgers finished with 13 and Fleming and Greene each had 12 points in the loss for the Comets. 

Photos by Allen Rich

Austin College is home again on Tuesday when they play host to LeTourneau University with tip time set for 8:00 p.m. 

AC Women’s Basketball Comeback Bid Falls Short 

SHERMAN, Texas – The Austin College women’s basketball team came back from 17 points in the second half and led with just over two minutes remaining, but the ’Roos could not hold off the No. 17-ranked University of Texas-Dallas Comets in the season opener on Sunday afternoon, falling 51-48 despite 15 points and 15 boards from Katy Willilams. 

UTD got out to an early 13 point lead thanks to the cold shooting of the ’Roos, who managed just four points over the game’s first 12 minutes and found themselves trailing 17-4 until Shayna Clardy got things going for Austin College with a three pointer to cut it to a 10 point game with 7:03 on the clock.  Kayla Redden added a jumper and Williams scored in the paint to trim the score to 19-11 with 5:06 left in the half. 

However, after the two teams traded baskets to make it 21-13, Rachel Addison scored five of the next seven points for UTD to push it back to a 28-15 advantage with 1:21 on the clock.  Kayla Redden’s three pointer off a pass from Williams with 10 seconds left cut it to a 28-18 halftime deficit. 

The Comets came out hot in the second half, scoring the first four points to push it to a 32-18 game before Clardy hit a jumper in the paint to cut it to a 32-20 game but UTD would score five straight capped off by a basket from Addison to extend the Comet lead to 17 points. 

Austin College began to chip away at the deficit when Williams scored four straight and Redden hit another three, and Amber Stafford’s layup with 11:20 left capped off a 12-0 run for the ’Roos to make it a 37-32 game.  Redden hit another three and Spenser Cruikshank knocked down a jumper to make it a 39-37 game, and after the Comets momentarily pushed it back to a five point lead with 7:31 on the clock Williams would score seven straight to give Austin College its first lead of the day at 44-42 with 4:36 remaining. 

After three more lead changes Kersti Marusich scored to make it a 48-47 game in favor of Austin College with 2:07 on the clock but that would be the last time the ’Roos would lead, with Tarneisha Scott scoring at the 1:21 mark to give the lead back to UTD for good.  The ’Roos would have several opportunities late but were unable to get a bucket and two Lauren Hale free throws made it a 51-48 final in favor of the Comets. 

Williams hit 6-of-10 from the field and five of her 15 boards came on the offensive glass, and Redden knocked down 3-of-5 from deep and 4-of-6 overall to finish with 11 points.  Stafford handed out a game-high six assists in the loss. 

Addison knocked down 7-of-11 from the field to finish with a game-best 16 points and Scott finished as the only other Comet in double figures with 11 points on 3-of-5 shooting from the floor and 5-of-8 from the free throw line. 

Austin College is back in action on Tuesday night when they host LeTourneau University with tip time set for 6:00 p.m. in Hughey Gymnasium. 

Photos by Allen Rich

Austin College athletic teams participate as a member of the NCAA Division III and the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference. 

About Austin College 

Austin College is a leading national independent liberal arts college located north of Dallas in Sherman, Texas.  Founded in 1849, making it the oldest institution of higher education in Texas operating under original charter and name, the college is related by covenant to the Presbyterian Church (USA). Recognized nationally for academic excellence in the areas of international education, pre-professional training, and leadership studies, Austin College is one of 40 schools profiled in Loren Pope’s influential book Colleges That Change Lives.