UAFS Lions Stay Unbeaten In Conference Play With Road Win

Courtesy UAFS Athletics Department

Apparently, a two-week layoff didn’t seem to faze the UAFS men’s basketball team.

Junior guard Jake Toupal came off the bench to score 13 of his team-high 18 points in the second half as the Lions held off a late charge by the Dallas Baptist Patriots for a 75-72 Heartland Conference win on Thursday night at The Burg Center in Dallas.

It was the seventh meeting in the all-time series between the two league teams, and UAFS now leads the series 4-3. UAFS (6-5) improved to 2-0 in conference play, while Dallas Baptist (5-6) slipped to 2-1 in conference play.

The Lions, who had last played on Dec. 19, snapped a two-game losing streak and are one of only three remaining teams unbeaten in conference play, joining St. Mary’s and Newman.

With the game tied at 29 points at halftime, the two teams were locked in a back-and-forth struggle until 8 minutes remained in the game. Toupal drained his fourth 3-pointer to break a 57-all tie with 7:35 left to play and followed with his fifth and final 3-pointer with 6:57 remaining to give UAFS a 63-59 lead.

UAFS never trailed again and pushed its lead to as many as 7 points (68-61) with 4:05 remaining on a 3-pointer by junior guard Corey Copeland, which was his second trey and the last of the Lions’ 11 3-pointers.

Dallas Baptist twice pulled with 2 points of the Lions in the final stretch with the last time coming on a layup by senior forward Nick Fox with 15 seconds left to make it 74-72. Junior guard Xavier McClish sank the first of two free throws to push the Lions lead to 3 points (75-72) with 11 seconds left, and sophomore guard Wesley Gipson’s game-tying 3-point attempt for the Patriots with 4 seconds left was off the mark to preserve the Lions’ win.

The Lions shot 42 percent from the field (25 for 60) – they were 11-for-28 shooting from 3-point range – and shot 82 percent from the free-throw line (14 for 17). Toupal was one of five Lions to score in double-figures. Senior forward Djordje Stojanovic had 16 points, senior guard Dijon Farr 13, McClish 12 and Copeland 10.

Farr led UAFS with 6 rebounds. UAFS and Dallas Baptist each had 27 rebounds

Dallas Baptist shot 50 percent from the field (26 for 52) – it was just 4-for-17 shooting from 3-point range – and shot 76 percent from the free-throw line (16 for 21). Fox led the Patriots with 25 points and 8 rebounds. Gipson and freshman guard Jonathan Perry each had 16 points apiece.

UAFS will return to nonconference action at 4 p.m. on Saturday against Oklahoma Christian University at the Payne Athletic Center in Oklahoma City. Oklahoma Christian is a provisional NCAA Division II member and a member of the Heartland Conference. However, it is ineligible to compete for the regular-season championship or qualify for postseason play because of its provisional status.