“A coach is never satisfied with a team’s performance after a loss, but the team improved today.” These were coach Curtis Condie’s, men’s basketball head coach, words after the men’s basketball game on Jan 20.
The Dustdevils were defeated 58-54 by the University of Incarnate Word Cardinals.
The Dustdevils ended the first half with a strong performance and a four-point lead over the Cardinals.
The second half was a thriller and had the crowd on its feet, as both teams were neck to neck by scoring at both ends of the court.
With only six minutes to play, the Dustdevils and the Cardinals were tied at 48.
The score was 51-54, the Cardinals shooting free throws, and only 29 seconds on the clock.
Cardinal Antario Williams missed both free throws, but the Dustdevils failed to get the rebound.
“We (Dustdevils) had several mental breakdowns at crucial times, like the moment we failed to get an offensive (rebound) off of their missed free-throws,” said Condie.
Rebounds by the Dusdevils “could have made the difference in the outcome of the game,” agreed Ignacio Garcia.
Garcia was a standout in Saturday’s game as he came off the bench and helped the Dustdevils stay in the game by scoring 12 points. Garcia was one of two Dustdevils that scored in double figures.
Garcia made a 3-point shot with five seconds remaining and brought the team as close as two points within the Cardinals, but there was not enough time to catch up.
Other noticeable Dustdevil performances for the Jan. 20 game included senior Angel Encinas with 15 points, 8 rebounds, and 6 assists.
As to what to do about their fifth loss in a row, Garcia and Condie both agreed on simply going back to practice and working harder to get better.
“We’ll get through it, we always do,” said Condie.