SAN ANTONIO, Texas – The Dallas Christian College men's basketball team dropped its Sunday afternoon game at NCAA Division I University of the Incarnate Word. The Crusaders battled hard against the Southland Conference foe with a tough first half and would trail by 13. However, the Cardinals pulled away with a 47-15 second half for the win.
 
DCC did not have a single player reach double-digits in scoring, but were able to have two close with Tilyr Hobson and Tyjuan Battles with nine apiece. Joseph Allen added eight points and had another block and steal. Battles came up with three thefts to lead the team. Despite being undersized, the Crusaders held a 26-22 advantage on points in the paint. DCC's bench outdid the home team, 23-19.
 
The Cardinals did benefit from a 14-2 edge on second chance points and 23-6 edge on points off turnovers. Most of their damage was done from the three-point line with a 13-for-27 effort overall. This included eight in the opening stanza.
 
Nick Erves put the Crusaders up 2-0 30 seconds into the contest. A trey by RJ Glasper flipped the lead to UIW. Jordan Harris put the Crusaders back on top and then another trey gave the Cardinals the lead the rest of the day. However, after falling behind 11-4, Hobson scored the next five points to pull DCC within two with just over 13 minutes before halftime.
 
The Cardinals went on to score nine points in a row and open their first double-digit lead of the game just before the midway point of the first half. It wasn't going to be easy, as the Crusaders fought back with another surge, as Micah Tucker and J. Allen got field goals, and Battles sank a triple to pull the score to 20-16 at 9:17.
 
Unfortunately, DCC was just 2-for-16 from downtown and the other trey was in the second half. UIW had timely treys and did well at the free throw line down the stretch in the first to push its lead to double-digits. The Crusaders continued to not be fazed and kept things in single-digits. There was even another run that peaked on a Hobson steal and dunk to make it 34-28 late in the half. Seven of the final nine points in the last two minutes went to UIW as it carried a 43-30 lead into intermission.
 
A three-pointer by Jairus Allen sliced the gap to 12, but that was as close as the score would get in the second half. The Crusaders went 10 minutes without any points after sitting on 39 just before the midway juncture.
 
The Crusaders have played 13 exhibitions and the past four have been NCAA Division I teams. One more is on the docket in 24 hours as DCC goes to UTSA.
 
The game starts at 7 p.m. and will be on the Conference USA Network and Sports Radio Ticket 760. Listen on the pregame for DCC Head Coach Dwight Coleman for an interview.
 
"Dallas Christian educates and mentors students to be people of influence engaging in their calling to the work of Christ in the church and in the world."