GEORGETOWN, Texas — Long arms and even longer range shooting kept the Southwestern Pirates men's basketball team at bay in an 81-69 loss to the Dallas Crusaders. 

In the first half, Southwestern struggled to contain Jai Love and Cameran Hyde, surrendering a combined 23 points on 18 shots. Love was blisteringly efficient, scoring 13 points on 5-for-8 shooting without a turnover to lead Dallas to a 45.5 percent first-half shooting performance. 

The Pirates countered with a balanced scoring attack, getting five or more points from four different players, led by Kyle Poerschke's seven in the first half. Turnovers cost Southwestern early, ceding eight to give Dallas a 16-10 advantage in points off turnovers and a 37-33 lead at the half. 

Southwestern dug itself an early hole after the break, surrendering a 17-5 run to start the half, falling behind 54-38 on a pair of Jack Boyle free throws to give Dallas its largest lead of the game at 16 with 13:09 remaining. 

Poerschke and the Southwestern bench helped the Pirates' bench battle back, pulling to within two possessions four different times over the final six minutes. However, each time Southwestern pulled to within striking distance, Dallas immediately answered with a timely shot, including a Hyde 3-pointer and pair of free throws, or a big defensive play. 

Dallas finished with nine blocks, led by Jack Boyle's six. Boyle was a dominant force inside, scoring 14 points on eight shots while grabbing 14 rebounds and dishing out five assists. The Crusaders also recorded eight steals, getting three each from Marcus Juarez and Letrell Toussaint. Southwestern shot just 27-for-68 from the field (39.7 percent) with 15 turnovers to 12 assists. 

Four of Dallas's five starters scored in double figures, led by Love's 24 points on 9-for-13 shooting. Hyde contributed 22 points while Toussaint joined Boyle with 14 points. 

Poerschke led Southwestern with 19 points on 7-for-16 shooting. Zac Black added 10 points on 4-for-7 shooting with five rebounds. Chris Smith, Jr. contributed nine points on six shots and five rebounds, while Hudson Boyd led all bench scorers with eight points on eight shots. 

Southwestern drops to 7-12 with a 4-6 record. This weekend, the Pirates will hit the road for games at Colorado College and the University of St. Thomas.