Antonio Patterson and his Tougaloo teammates gave it their all but fell short in the opening round of the NAIA men’s basketball tournament.
Patterson, a 6-foot-4 senior forward, scored 40 points and grabbed 11 rebounds, but the No. 15 seed Bulldogs were eliminated by 2nd seeded LSU-Shreveport 94-88 Friday night.
HBCUAC runner-up Tougaloo (19-10) fought from behind most of the game, then took a lead as a large as seven points (61-54) on a Jagger Young layup eight minutes into the second half.
LSU Shreveport (27-5) flipped the game in their favor with a 22-10 run, led by Khi Wallace’s nine points during that span to open up a 76-71 lead.
The Bulldogs closed to within two points (84-82) on a pair of Patterson free throws in the final seconds, but Tougaloo couldn’t make up the deficit.
Patterson’s outstanding performance was highlighted by 15 of 25 from the field and 9 of 10 from the free throw line. Patterson also handed out four assists. He was joined in double figures by senior guards Willie Anderson and Tyler Hudson with 16 points each.
