After a 5-0 start, the Schreiner University men’s basketball team is in freefall — losing five of its last six games. The Mountaineers blew an 11-point halftime lead and fell to visiting Sul Ross State, 75-66, on Wednesday night.
The Mountaineers continue to struggle with poor offensive play and turnovers. And things didn’t get easier when sophomore starting guard Jalen Ned went down with an ankle injury.
In their last six games, the Mountaineers have seen miserable results from 3-point range — 31-of-130, 23%. They also turn the ball over — a lot. The Mountaineers turned the ball over 25 times against Sul Ross and have mirrored that performance in four of their last five games.
On Wednesday night, Sul Ross neutralized Schreiner’s Kamden Ross, who was limited to six points and six rebounds. The Mountaineers have also struggled with discipline, leading coach Marwan Elrakawaby to change his lineup. The starting five that came onto the floor at UTSA last month are now primarily coming off the bench.
Fifth-year player Alex Dehoyos, who served a suspension for violating team rules during the Mountaineers’ Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference opener, is well behind his career numbers. Dehoyos played 19 minutes on Wednesday but took five shots and scored four points.
The Mountaineers’ collapse from a 5-0 start to a 6-5 position before Christmas may have come at a time when they can reset before heading to a SCAC showdown against Trinity on Dec. 29. Schreiner plays an exhibition game against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi on Friday, but then is off for 13 days.
After a strong start Wednesday, the Mountaineers saw Sul Ross surge midway into the second half, taking the a 47-46 lead on a Julian Paredes layup. The game was tight until the final seconds, but the Mountaineers could never find the net when it mattered most.
Bronson Evans led the Mountaineers with 19 points.
