SEGUIN â€" Karisa Cantu scored 19 points in the second half, Texas Lutheran scored 50 as a team in the final 20 minutes and the Bulldogs defeated the University of Dallas 92-75 on Saturday to secure their third straight win.
 
The Bulldogs used that high-octane second half to outscore the Crusaders 50-36 in the closing stanza, shooting nearly 55 percent in the period. Cantu was an offense unto herself in the second half, shooting 6-of-10 in from the field and knocking down 3-of-4 from behind the arc.
 
With the win, the Bulldogs improved to 11-8 overall and 6-3 in the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference, while building their winning streak to three. The loss dropped Dallas to 10-8 overall and 4-5 in the SCAC.
 
The offense was clicking on all cylinders on Saturday, like it has throughout this three-game streak. The Bulldogs are averaging 90 points per contest over the last three games.
 
Cantu (San Antonio, Texas) finished with a game-high 25 points on 7-of-11 shooting from the field. She did her damage from all over, knocking down 3-of-4 from long range and going 8-of-10 from the charity stripe. The senior guard also added three assists, two steals and two rebounds. All three of her 3-pointers came in that red-hot second half
 
For the game, TLU shot 46 percent, marking the fifth time in the last eight games it has shot at least 45 percent from the field. For the second straight game, it was the Bulldogs' ability to get to the free throw line that changed the game. They tied a season-high mark with 29 made free throws, tying the mark they set last night in the win over Austin College. They finished Saturday 29-of-37 (78%) from the stripe.
 
Taylor Dydalewicz (Dripping Springs, Texas) combined with Cantu to lead the Bulldog offense. The junior scored 22 points on 8-of-18 shooting and finished one rebound shy of a double-double. She knocked down all five of her free throw attempts. Dydalewicz scored 14 of her points in the first half.
 
For the second straight game, four Bulldogs finished with double-digit scoring. Joining Dydalewicz and Cantu, Savannah Hight (San Antonio, Texas) scored 18 points, while Kristen Lye (San Antonio, Texas) added 16.
 
Ball movement was key to the Bulldogs' offensive performance. Their 23 assists were the most they've notched since recording 24 against Centenary seven games ago.
 
It was Dallas that got out to an early lead, going on top 10-4 three minutes into the action. The Bulldogs continued to trail until the 9:11 mark of the first half. They took their first lead of the game on a Dydalewicz layup, going ahead 21-20. TLU would lead by no more than three the entire first half, taking a 42-39 advantage into the locker room.
 
Cantu opened the second half with a 3-pointer to give TLU a six-point advantage, but still the Bulldogs couldn't pull away. Nearly nine minutes into the second half, TLU led 64-63.
 
Finally, the Bulldogs rattled off nine straight points capped off by a Hight 3-pointer to open up their first double-digit lead with 7:24 to play. They never trailed by less than seven the rest of the way. The 17-point final margin was their largest lead of the ballgame.
 
Texas Lutheran continues its home stand with two more games next weekend, looking to keep the home cooking going. The Bulldogs are 6-1 inside Memorial Gymnasium this year. They take on Schreiner and Trinity next weekend. Things tip off against Schreiner at 6 p.m. Friday (Feb. 6). Live video and live stats will be available via tlubulldogs.com.