SHERMAN, Texas – The Southwestern University Pirates men's basketball team continued its struggles from beyond the 3-point line, shooting 0-for-16 from long distance in a 76-57 loss to the Austin College Kangaroos.
Southwestern struggled offensively in the first half, shooting just 8-for-26 (30.8 percent) and missing all nine 3-pointers, committing eight turnovers to just five assists to trail 29-23 at the half. Point guard Kyle Howard scored seven points on 2-for-2 shooting and hitting 3-for-4 from the free-throw line before the break.
Austin College got a spark from Kam Hogan off the bench, scoring 10 points in 14 minutes in the first half. Starters Michael Holland and Devin Roland combined for 15 points on 10 shots.
The Pirates continued to struggle offensively in the second half while the defense gave way to Roland and reserve Roman Strickland, who combined for 29 points in a second half in which the Kangaroos shot a blistering 58.1 percent on their 31 shot attempts, including 5-for-10 from the 3-point line.
Howard led the Pirates with 25 points on eight shots and a 13-for-15 performance from the free-throw line. Brandon Alexander had a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds while Trenton Garrett had 10 points and five rebounds off the bench.
Roland led Austin College with 21 points on 9-for-14 shooting and Holland has 12 points on seven shots with four assists. Reserves Hogan and Strickland each scored 17 points on better than 50 percent shooting.
Austin College outscored Southwestern by 27 from beyond the 3-point line, assisting on 21 of its 30 made field goals. The Kangaroos' bench outscored the Pirates' bench 36-16.
With the loss, the Pirates drop to 9-13 on the season, including 5-10 in conference play. Southwestern will face Dallas on the road tomorrow at 4:00 p.m. The Crusaders won the previous meeting 72-66.
