LINCOLN, Neb. - The men's basketball team came up short in the second game of their Thanksgiving tournament with a 130-119 loss to Redlands at Nebraska Wesleyan on Saturday afternoon.
The Panthers received 33 points from Johari Dix and 26 points from all-tournament honoree Eric Williams, but their efforts were not enough to overcome a second half that saw Redlands reverse a one point GU halftime lead that swelled to six in the second half. Redlands won the game by outscoring the Panthers by 17 points over the final 15 minutes of the game.
Greenville was handicapped by a subpar game behind the three-point line that saw them only make 12-of-53 three point attempts. Rakim Murphy knocked down four triples in route to a 15 point game.
The Panthers were topped in their rebounding efforts by a 57-43 margin. Williams led the Greenville squad with nine rebounds.
The GU suffocating pressure resulted in 34 Redlands turnovers and 19 steals for the Panthers. Dix and Daniel Saeli each provided three steals. Greenville collected 45 points from the Redlands turnovers.
The Panthers largest lead was six when Murphy made a three-pointer to give Greenville a 79-73 lead with 15:04 to go in the game.
Greenville was extremely effective behind the free throw line, converting 27-of-31 attempts to shoot at a rate of 87 percent.
The Panthers (2-4) will host Eureka in a SLIAC game on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. in H.J. Long Gymnasium.