SAC men’s basketball opened up the Texas Collegiate Athletic Conference tournament with an impressive 71-62 victory over the St. Philips Tigers on Wednesday, April 8 at the Candler Physical Education Center.

SAC advances to the semi-final round, which takes place on Saturday, April 11.

SAC’s offense was jump-started by its defense, which forced 23 turnovers and registered 5 blocks. The Armadillos moved the ball well offensively, leading to 21 assists on the night. SAC compiled 35 rebounds, including 14 offensive rebounds. Even when they were not hitting shots, they attacked St Philip’s on the offensive glass.

SAC took a 35-24 lead into halftime.

In the second half, the Armadillos blew the game open, leading by as many as 22 points, in large part due to the press defense Coach Jim Alcala broke out. The Tigers were unable to deal with the heavy pressure, which led to many mistakes and turnovers.

“When you press them, it puts pressure on their ball handling. It’s not much on stealing, but it puts pressure on their defense. And if they don’t have a strategy, that’s what gets them in trouble.” Alcala told the Sundial.

SAC Guard Demetrice Mims helped lead the way for the Armadillos, scoring a team high 16 points, dishing out 4 assists, and converting two of his 3-point attempts.

“We played really well. We knew we could come in here and get the win, but they obviously weren’t gonna make it easy for us. We came in play together, played defense, and we got the win.” Mims told the Sundial.

St Philips cut into the lead in the second half, getting as close as 7 points before the Armadillos were able to regain control of the game. SPC was able to cut into the deficit and get within single digits in the fourth quarter, but SAC kept their composure and finished them off to advance to the next round. The Armadillos hit some timely shots when SPC was trying to claw back into the game.

It was 60-50 when SAC forced a turnover and Kai Byrd knocked down a three-pointer to extend the lead to 13. Byrd was tied for second on the team with scoring alongside center Markus Salinas with 10 pts. A couple of possessions later, SAC Point Guard Dominic Guerra knocked down a three-pointer off good ball movement, and the Armadillos forced another SPC turnover to push the SAC lead to 17 with just over five minutes left.

SAC Guard Demetrice Mims drove through the lane and converted a reverse layup to give SAC a comfortable 15-point lead with just a little over 2 minutes remaining in the fourth quarter. The Armadillos went on to win 71-62 after the Tigers scored the final 6 points with the game already decided.

“Just have to keep our composure, just have to make sure we stay together and make sure to play our role right. And as we did that, we came out with the win.” Byrd told the Sundial.

SAC advances to the semi-final round and will face the No. 2 seed, Northeast Lake View, Saturday, April 11, at 5 p.m. at SPC’s William Allen Hudgins Health and Wellness Center.

Read Next: SAFC’s U.S. Open Cup Run Ends With 1-0 Loss to FC Tulsa