SHERMAN, TEXAS - Southwestern University Men's Basketball concludes the non-conference slate in style with a massive comeback victory against Austin College, 75-73. Southwestern finished the calendar year at 6-5 overall with the most non-conference wins since the 2014-15 season.

The game looked bleak as the Pirates found themselves down 64-52 with seven minutes left, facing a second straight loss on the road before conference play. The squad dug deep and rattled off 23 points in seven minutes, stunning the Roos with a 23-9 run.

Junior Zach Gomez drilled back-to-back triples to take the lead late. The Roos tied the game at 73 before senior Shobby Enakpene shinned again with the game-winning bucket with three seconds to spare. 

GAME HIGHLIGHTS

• Head Coach Matt Streich decided to go with a new look in the starting lineup after Friday nights loss at University of Dallas. The Pirates started sophomore Aiden Lewis, junior Luke Mills, freshman Neo Franco, senior Luke Hatcher, and Gomez. Southwestern did play without junior Zach Shugars battling a nagging injury. 
• The Pirates came out strong with more energy than the Roos, building an 8-3 lead. 
• Freshman Sawyer Batz knocked down a three off the offensive board, while Franco hit a tough turnaround jumper. 
• Gomez kept the Pirates hot from beyond the arc with the fifth triple of the game. However, the defense fell behind as the Roos led 27-23. 
• Both teams entered halftime tied at 34. Southwestern won the battle on the glass, but struggled on the line going two for seven. 
• Batz lifted the offense with 11 points on three for four beyong the arc. 
• Austin had the edge to start the second half, taking a 51-47 advantage with 12 minutes left.
• The Roos extended the Pirates deficit to 64-52 with seven minutes to play, going 16-18 from the charity strike.
• However, Enakpene and Hatcher helped dig out of the 12-point hole as the deficit moved to 66-62. 
• Gomez changed the game after hitting two consecutive triples to take the 68-66 lead. The Roos answered with 15 seconds left, tying the game at 73. 
• Instead of calling the timeout, Streich decided to trust his senior guard Enakpene in the final moments. 
• The Midland native drove downhill and used his speed for the lay in with three seconds left. The Roos failed to complete the full court heave as the Pirates escaped with a massive comeback victory. 

GAME NOTES

• The six win non-conference slate tripled the Pirates win total from the last two seasons as the mixture of returners, transfers, and freshman are starting to hit their stride together before starting SAA conference play. 
• However, the Pirates have plenty of room to improve with another bad night on the free throw line, going 8-19. 
• The Pirates did receive offensive production from an ample amount of guys with five different double-digit contributions. 
• Batz was the leader off the bench with 14 points who never lacks confidence. 
• Lewis picked up a season-high with 13 points, along with nine boards in his first start. 
• Hatcher stepped up for Shugars with a double-double on 13 points and 11 boards. 
• Franco contributed a team-high six assists. 
• Southwestern enters SAA play scoring 74 PPG, which is up 12 points from the 2024-25 season. The big difference is making 9.2 threes per game, opposed to 6.0. 
• Two pivotal categories the Pirates look to improve are their free throw percentage at 59% and their turnovers per game at 13.7. 
• Southwestern heads into the break with an abundance of positives to take into the new year. The Pirates have added motivation this season after being selected to finished last in the SAA by the preseason poll, looking to make some serious noise. 

UP NEXT
Southwestern travels to #24 nationally ranked Trinity University on January 3rd in San Antonio.