CONWAY, Ark. -- Concordia University (Texas) sophomore guard Jeffrey Kirven banked in a three from the top of the key with 0:03 remaining to give the Tornados a come-from-behind, 74-71, victory over Austin College in Friday's second quarterfinal game of the 2026 SCAC Men's Basketball Tournament at Grove Gymnasium on the campus of Hendrix College. Official Tournament Website | Photo Gallery | Postgame Interview | Men's Tournament Stats
Trailing 71-66 with 1:14 remaining, Concordia closed out the game on an 8-0 run to overcome the deficit and advance to its first-ever SCAC semfinal. The highly-contested three-pointer for Kirven, who was one of four Concordia players to score in double figures, was his first of the season.
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HOW IT HAPPENED
- Austin College shot 51.9 percent (14-27) from the floor and held the nation's third-highest scoring offense to just 30 points - the team's second lowest output of the season - in taking a 41-30 halftime lead.
- Concordia bounced back with 44 second-half points and, although the shooting percentage did not move up, the defensive intensity. The Tornados forced 21 turnovers while committing just 12 and outscored the 'Roos 20-4 on those forced miscues.
- Concordia's bench outscored Austin College's 34-5 but the 'Roos did hold a 40-30 point advantage in the paint.
- Austin College held the lead for 30:31 of the game and until the Tornados hit the game-winning three, Concordia had last led with 8:38 remaining in the first half (25-24).
CONCORDIA UNIVERSITY (TEXAS) STATISTICAL STANDOUTS
- Aaron San Miguel: 13 points, 3 rebounds
- Darone Leakes: 11 points, 2 steals
- Joey Ramirez: 10 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists
- Jeffrey Kirven: 10 points, 5 rebounds
AUSTIN COLLEGE STATISTICAL STANDOUTS
- Kidus Getenet: 22 points, 10 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals
- Jamien June: 19 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 6-of-11 FGs
- Tasshir Pina-Warren: 18 points, 8-of-13 FGs
NOTABLES
- The game was the first tournament matchup between the two schools.
- The win evened Concordia's all-time SCAC tournament mark to 1-1 while Austin College dropped to 4-11.
- Austin College, which had won four straight entering the tournament, ends the season with a 9-16 record.
UP NEXT
Concordia (Texas) (22-4) advances to the semifinals where the Tornados will take on the top-seed from the Blue Division, LeTourneau University tomorrow at 2 p.m. CT. This will be the first-ever SCAC tournament match-up between the two recent conference additions, but they did play in 2024 in Concordia's last season in the American Southwest Conference, a quarterfinal matchup at LeTourneau that the Yellowjackets won, 89-76.
