ALPINE, Tx.- The Sul Ross Lobos kept their playoff hopes alive with a 95-86 conference win over the visiting Schreiner Mountaineers Thursday night at the Gallego Center.
The Lobos spotted 4 players in double figures led by Tury Escobar’s 22 points. Sidney Hooper supplied 20 in the victory while C.J. Acosta contributed 10 points. Lobo senior Aaron Hardwick recorded his first double-double for the year with his 17 points and 11 boards.
Hardwick started things off for the Lobos with a 2-point jumper to give Sully an early 2-0 lead. SU quickly bounced back with a 7-0 run leading the Lobos 9-2 with 16:30 left in the first half. The Mountaineers kept the lead for most of half and crept out to an 11-point, 31-20 advantage with 5:34 left before intermission.
The Lobos then commenced on a 14-0 run which gave Sul Ross a 34-31 lead with 2:32 left until the break. Schreiner pulled within a point twice with under 2 minutes left before the half. A pair of foul shots and a 3-pointer by Hooper sent the Lobos to the locker room sporting a 46-40 lead.
SU pulled within a point again with just 47 tics expired to start the second period. Sul Ross then put up an 8-2 run over the next two minutes to give the Lobos a 61-50 lead with 15:14 left in regulation.
The Mountaineers bounced back to tie the game at 69 with 8:35 left in the contest. Sul Ross reclaimed the lead and held Schreiner at bay over the next seven minutes until a 6-0 Lobo run put Sully up by 10, 94-84 with 35 seconds left to play. Schreiner’s last bucket came off a 2-point jumper while Acosta sank a free throw for the 95-86 final.
SU’s Ronnie Barney led the Mountaineers with 21 points while Jarrell Williams and Joseph Davis led rebounders with 6 boards apiece.
Sully shot 53% from the field against Schreiner and had a 77% showing from the foul stripe.
The Lobos playoff hopes remain alive after Hardin-Simmons, currently in fourth place in the ASC West, dropped an 86-70 conference loss to host Mary Hardin-Baylor Thursday evening. The Cowboys face a must win situation on Saturday in Austin against Concordia to hold onto the fourth seed. Should HSU fall to the Tornadoes and the Lobos defeat Texas Lutheran on Saturday, then Sul Ross would make their fourth consecutive trip to the ASC post-season tournament.
Newspaper Box Score Schreiner University vs Sul Ross State 02/16/06 7:30 p.m. at Alpine, Texas (Pete P. Gallego Center) At Alpine, Texas (Pete P. Gallego Center) SUL ROSS STATE 95, SCHREINER UNIVERSITY 86 SCHREINER UNIVERSITY (4-19, 4-17 (ASC)) Ronnie Barney 9-15 2-2 21; Lance Hrncir 7-13 4-6 20; Jonathan Young 6-10 2-6 17; Joseph Davis 4-7 2-4 10; Jarrell Williams 3-8 1-2 7; Kevin Deans 2-5 0-0 5; Brandon Burke 2-7 0-0 4; Ricky Beasley 1-8 0-0 2; Justin Land 0-2 0-0 0; Travis Clark 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 34-76 11-20 86. SUL ROSS STATE (12-12, 12-9(ASC)) Arturo Escobar 7-12 5-5 22; Sidney Hooper 8-18 2-2 20; Aaron Hardwick 5-8 7-8 17; C.J. Acosta 4-10 2-3 10; Matt Santa Cruz 2-3 4-5 8; Art Gonzalez 2-3 2-2 7; Abraham Ely 2-3 1-3 5; Jermaine Packer 2-4 0-0 4; Travis Johnson 1-1 0-0 2; Richard Hooper 0-0 0-2 0; Moises Morales 0-0 0-0 0; Cornell Hunt 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 33-62 23-30 95. Schreiner University.......... 40 46 - 86 Sul Ross State................ 46 49 - 95 3-point goals-Schreiner University 7-23 (Jonathan Young 3-5; Lance Hrncir 2-5; Kevin Deans 1-3; Ronnie Barney 1-3; Ricky Beasley 0-5; Justin Land 0-1; Joseph Davis 0-1), Sul Ross State 6-16 (Arturo Escobar 3-6; Sidney Hooper 2-7; Art Gonzalez 1-2; C.J. Acosta 0-1). Fouled out--Schreiner University-Jarrell Williams, Sul Ross State-None. Rebounds-Schreiner University 31 (Joseph Davis 6; Jarrell Williams 6), Sul Ross State 47 (Aaron Hardwick 11). Assists-Schreiner University 22 (Joseph Davis 5), Sul Ross State 12 (Arturo Escobar 3; Sidney Hooper 3). Total fouls-Schreiner University 24, Sul Ross State 17. A-552