HOBBS, NM – The University of the Southwest Men's Basketball hosted two games late last week to begin their conference campaign. The Mustangs lost a tight one to Louisiana Christian on Thursday by the score of 77-76. USW would bounce back with a big win against Xavier (LA.), 60-57. 
 
Louisiana Christian
 
Louisiana Christian (LCU) (5-4, 1-1 RRAC) came into Thursday's contest following a loss to fellow conference opponent Xavier (LA.). The Mustangs came in looking to improve on their 4-1 record thus far. 
 
The Wildcats of LCU got off to a hot start in the first half of the game, taking a 43-35 lead going into the break. Southwest sparked their offense in the second half, hanging tight with Louisiana Christian until the end. Unfortunately, LCU was able to hang on to win, 77-76. 
 
Junior Jahvonta Jones impressed with 22 points and five rebounds for the Mustangs. Senior Malik Malone, who was a rebound shy of a double-double, had 16 points and nine rebounds. Senior Tre Thomas contributed with nine points and seven rebounds. 
 
"We came out unprepared to play," said Coach James Voight. "I was disappointed in the effort we came out with, especially for our first home conference game and first conference game of the season. Give credit to Louisiana Christian; they came out ready to play and wanted the game more than we did. They put pressure on us from the start of the game, both offensively and defensively, and we were in scramble mode the whole night. As the conference season goes along, we will have to learn from that game that all conference games are tough at home or on the road." 
 
 
Xavier (LA.)
 
On Saturday, it did not get any easier for Southwest (5-2, 1-1 RRAC) as they hosted a tough Xavier University (5-3, 1-1 RRAC) team. 
 
Xavier jumped out in front and looked to maintain an edge after going into the half leading the Mustangs, 29-24. Southwest would not go down quietly as the offense sparked the comeback for the Mustangs. A 36-point second half propelled USW to a 60-57 victory over Xavier (LA.)
 
Senior Tre Thomas led with 15 points and also grabbed eight boards with four steals. Junior Jahvonta Jones had 12 points and four rebounds. Graduate Student Dominique Bradley had 11 points and two rebounds. Senior Malik Malone hit the boards hard with nine on the day and added seven points as well. 
 
"It was a total 180° from Thursday night," stated Voight. "I was extremely proud of the effort our guys gave and how they competed all night. Our defense and rebounding were a lot better than Thursday night. We were able to get stops when we needed to and were able to limit Xavier's offensive rebounding. I knew the game would be somewhat low scoring as Xavier is a really good defensive team. We stayed disciplined and got the looks we wanted. Proud of the fight our guys gave to seal the win. We got down double digits with about 9 minutes to play and strung together some stops followed by scores to take the lead. We need to build on this win and continue to be locked in on the defensive side of the ball and the backboards."
 
USW Men's Basketball hits the road for their next set of conference games as they take on Texas A&M Texarkana on Thursday and Paul Quinn College on Saturday. Continue to follow USW Athletics and USW Men's Basketball on all social media for scores and updates throughout the season.