SEGUIN, Texas -- Mason Wallace (San Antonio/Judson) scored 24 points and Jediah Chavarin-Rivens added a season-high 12 points off the bench while Carter Lewis (New Braunfels/New Braunfels) secured a last second rebound as Texas Lutheran edged Dallas 63-61 on Sunday afternoon to secure a winning record at home for the first time since the 2019-20 season (7-6) and keep their SCAC Tournament hopes alive.

Wallace led the Bulldogs with 24 points, including 13 points in the final 7:30 of the game. At the 1:26 mark in the second half, Wallace reached a career milestone, becoming the 38th member of Texas Lutheran's 1,000 point club. Wallace is the first Bulldog to reach the 1,000 point mark since former teammate Xavier Phillips (2020-25) who finished his career with 1,135 points. Wallace finished 8-of-15 from the field and added five rebounds, two assists, and two steals.

Darren Ford Jr. (San Antonio/Veterans Memorial) added a career-high ten points - including sinking the first three of his TLU career.

Dallas sank eight of their 18 three-point attempts to nearly finish off their comeback attempt.

Dallas scored five straight points to take a three-point lead with 2:23 remaining. The Crusaders would go cold for the remainder of the game, only sinking one free throw in the final two minutes of play. Trailing 60-57 with 2:23 remaining, Mason Wallace took over, scoring the final six points for the Bulldogs including four free throws to finish 7-for-7 at the free throw line on the afternoon. The Crusaders had a chance to tie or win it in the final possession but a crucial rebound from Lewis with three seconds remaining secured the game for Texas Lutheran (9-12, 4-8 SCAC).

The game was tight throughout the first half but TLU gradually grew its lead up to as many as nine points and would carry a 29-21 lead at the halftime break.

The Crusaders, who led for just under four minutes in the first half, made six threes in the second half to nearly come from behind to steal one from the Bulldogs. Wallace led the Bulldogs with 13 points in the second half while Darren Ford Jr. scored all ten of his points in the second half. In a game that each opportunity counted, the Bulldogs shot 86.7 percent (13-of-15) from the free throw line in the game, led by Wallace's perfect performance.

With the win, the Bulldogs left their window for a SCAC Tournament opportunity slightly ajar entering the final two weeks of the regular season. The Bulldogs will have to win out and receive some help from Schreiner and Colorado College - two teams the Bulldogs will see over the next two weeks.

The Bulldogs are back in action on Friday, February 13 as the Bulldogs travel to Houston to face a 4th-ranked St. Thomas team that could move into the top three in the country by the time the teams tip off on Friday. The Bulldogs nearly upset the Celts in Seguin on Jan. 30. Tip-off is set for 5:30 PM. The game will be streamed on FloCollege. All streaming and live stats links will be available on tlubulldogs.com.

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