The Men’s Basketball team wrapped up a busy Winter Break on Sunday, Jan. 2, with a loss at home to Texas Lutheran University, 74–72. The game reflected the Winter Break that the Tigers had: the team came out slow, but made a strong comeback, erasing an 18-point deficit, only to lose in the final seconds.
Although sporting a 3–6 record over the break, there were plenty of positives that the team will look to continue as they head into the final stretch of the regular season.
Senior forward Chris Martin had some wise words on the state of the team. “In spite of being a few guys down, we really pulled together and had a strong win [away] at Trinity,” Martin said. “Being able to get a win on the road is always huge, especially against a program like Trinity. We had a lot of other close games that we couldn’t quite finish, but these games helped to show us where we really need to focus up and improve on.”
The Tiger win at Trinity College was defined by the team’s strong first half—a part of the game the Tigers are looking to improve.
“We have a saying on the team, ‘first five,’ which places emphasis on coming out with a lot of energy and hitting them with the first punch in the game,” Martin said.
The 45–31 first half set the tone for the game, and although Trinity made a comeback to bring the game within four points, the Tigers stayed strong for a big win against the conference rival.
“We have had games where we have been able to [come out strong], but we haven’t done that consistently,” Martin said. “If we can start off with energy and not let up the whole game, I think we will definitely be successful going into the second half of conference play. Over the break, getting down by a lot at the start came back to haunt us, and even though we fought back and even got a lead or won the game, there were some games where that wasn’t the case.”
The team also had good wins against Austin College and Cornell College. The game against Austin College was a close one, and the difference was made in the painted area. The Tigers outscored the ’Roos 44–32 in the paint in a 87–82 victory. Senior guard Eric Houska led the team with 23 points. The matchup with Cornell College told a different story. Martin led the team with 18 points, but four players had 15 points or more. Coach Andy Partee was forced to stick with a tight six-man rotation, but it paid off with the win.
Although the Tigers currently occupy the seventh spot in the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference, they will have the chance to move up and make the playoffs, as the fourth-ranked team is only two games ahead. With upcoming games against every other member of the conference, the Tigers will get their shot to make a difference in these last seven games.
With these important games in mind, Martin shared some insight on what the team is emphasizing: “We are really focusing on getting back to who we are, and giving that extra effort that has been missing in some of our recent games,” he said. “We are focusing a ton on rebounding, as well as help defense and really flying around the ball. Another big thing we are focusing on is just consistently bringing solid energy and not allowing there to be any dropoff in practice or in games. Finally, we are also working on our offensive execution and staying disciplined.”
The Tigers are away for the next two weekends, and kicking off the road trip is a game against Southwestern University today.