SEGUIN, Texas -- Texas Lutheran earned its first ranked victory of the season and second of the
Austin Falke era with a 70-67 win over #20 Hardin-Simmons in a thriller at Memorial Gymnasium on Sunday afternoon.
Semaj Edwards (Lanham, MD/Oak Hill) led the Bulldogs with 29 points on 11-of-19 shooting, including 6-of-9 from beyond the arc, to match his career-high. Edwards started 2-of-6 in the first half but surged for 23 points on 9-of-13 shooting in the second half. He also grabbed five rebounds and added three steals and an assist. Edwards sealed the game with a dunk in the closing seconds of the game.
Senior guard
Mason Wallace (San Antonio/Judson) provided a steady offensive effort against Hardin-Simmons, dropping 16 points with two triples and eight free throws. He led the team with five assists.
Jonah Johnson (Cibolo/Steele) added ten points and two assists off the bench.
Teddy Tapken (Austin/Lake Travis) had a well-rounded night, putting up eight points, seven rebounds, and three assists.
After Hardin-Simmons opened up scoring with a 5-0 run, Texas Lutheran responded with an 11-6 run to tie the game 11-all. The Bulldogs kept it close throughout the first half but were never able to take a sustainable lead in a half that saw four ties. The Bulldogs entered the break trailing the Cowboys 32-30. Wallace led the Bulldogs with nine in the half, while Edwards and Tapken had six each.
A 14-6 run from the Bulldogs to start the half gave TLU an early six point lead. The Cowboys battled back to tie the game before the Bulldogs went on a 14-3 run to take their largest lead of the game, 62-51, with 6:13 remaining. The Cowboys slowly chipped away to tie the game at 66-all with two minutes remaining. Hardin-Simmons split a pair of free throws with 1:46 remaining for their final point of the afternoon, taking a 67-66 lead.
Mason Wallace made a pair of free throws with 41 seconds remaining and
Semaj Edwards put finishing touches on the game with a dunk with 16 seconds left to give the Bulldogs their final three-point lead.
With the win, it's the first time since 2017 that both TLU basketball programs beat Hardin-Simmons.
Texas Lutheran will turn around and play Division-I Texas State in an exhibition on Monday, Nov. 24 at Strahan Arena. Tipoff is set for 6 PM on ESPN+. Following Monday's exhibition the Bulldogs will travel to UIW in San Antonio for their final exhibition of the season on Wednesday, Nov. 26, at the McDermott Center. Tip-off is set for 2 PM and will also be streamed on ESPN+. The Bulldogs will return to regular season action on Sunday, Nov. 30 at Memorial Gymnasium against Howard Payne. Tip-off is set for 2 PM and will be streamed on FloCollege.
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