Mullenax dominates down low with 30, Hilltoppers take out Concordia, 89-78
AUSTIN, Texas - Senior forward Taylor Mulleanx scored a game-high 30 points to lead St. Edward's to an 89-78 victory over cross-town foe Concordia (Texas) Friday evening at the Recreation and Convocation Center.
St. Edward's (2-1) opened the game on a 7-0 run in the first minute, sparked by layups from Mullenax and senior Kyle Wakefield, along with a three-pointer from junior Jannik Zimmer.
Concordia (0-2) responded with a 7-0 run of its own over the next three minutes. Kevin Young scored the first five points of the stretch, which included a three-point play.
With the Tornados ahead, 24-21, with 6:08 remaining, the Hilltoppers were sparked by freshman Charlie Spector who entered the game and knocked down two shots from behind the arc. Those shots, along with four Tornado turnovers helped St. Edward's to an 18-4 run over a span of four minutes. The spurt gave the Hilltoppers a 39-28 advantage with 2:12 remaining in the first half.
The Tornados finished off the half with an 8-2 run, led by Jason Recendez' six points. However, St. Edward's still had a 41-36 lead at intermission.
Mullenax opened the second half with a bucket, but Joel McDonald nailed two treys to cut the lead to 43-42, with 18:38 remaining in the contest.
That is as close as Concordia would get as the Hilltoppers scored the next eight points to push the lead out to nine points. The Tornados turned the ball over three-straight possessions to help the St. Edward's cause. Mullenax registered 16 second-half points on 7-of-7 shooting from the field and also tallied four steals. His steady play, along with 26 turnovers for the Tornados kept the lead at, or around double-digits the rest of the way.
Mullenax was just one off of his career-high in scoring, which he set Jan. 25, 2007 at UT-Permian Basin where he poured in 31 points. The Beaumont, Texas native was 13-14 from the field and a perfect 4-of-4 from the charity stripe tonight. The forward is shooting an amazing 84.4 percent from the field in three contests.
Junior Reggie Shanks scored in double figures for the third-consecutive game with 12 points to go along with his 10 rebounds. This was his first double-double of the season.
Junior Tylor Carr came off of the bench to add 10 points. Zimmer dished out a team-high six assists, while senior Taylor Land had four of his own.
McDonald led Concordia with 21 points, making five shots from behind the three-point line. Recendez added 19 points and Brad Walker chipped in with 11 points. Mike Mann led all players with eight assists. Young just missed a double-double with nine points and nine rebounds.
St. Edward's will be back in action Tuesday when they host Concordia (Alabama). Tip-off is set for 8 p.m. at the Recreation and Convocation Center. This will be the first meeting ever between the two teams.