BELTON, Texas - Hendrix, who had played its last game nearly two weeks ago, took on Louisiana College in the first game of the Cru Holiday Classic from Belton, Texas Friday afternoon. After falling behind by eight points at the break, the Warriors ended up getting outscored 33-31 in the second half as Hendrix fell to the Wildcats, 73-63 behind a team-high 17 points from senior guard Preston Smith. Hendrix falls to 4-6 on the season while the Wildcats improve to 9-1.

THE BASICS
Score:  Hendrix 63, Louisiana College 73
Records: Warriors (4-6) | Wildcats (9-1)
Location | Time: Belton, TX | 3 PM
Get Social: Twitter | @HendrixWarriors | @HCscoreboard 
Up Next: Dec. 29 vs University of Mary Hardin-Baylor | 5 PM  | Belton, TX

TURNING POINT
Trailing by three at 60-57 with 6:04 left, Louisiana College carved up a 9-1 run to take a commanding 11-point lead (69-58) with 2:24 left in regulation.

OF NOTE
- Hendrix jumped out to an impressive start; hitting four of its first eight shots to jump out to a 12-6 advantage with 15:10 left until the break.
- An 18-1 run by Louisiana College helped the Wildcats jump out to a 26-16 edge; led 40-32 at the half.
- After sophomore guard Kam Brasfield found freshman forward Jake Riding for a transition jumper with 12:27 to go, Hendrix trailed by just one but that would be as close as the Warriors would cut into Louisiana College's lead.
- The Wildcats went 4-of-4 from the charity stripe in the last 51 seconds to hang on for the 73-63 non-conference victory.
- Smith, who scored eight of Hendrix's first 11 points, scored 11 of his team-best 17 points in the opening 20 minutes; also finished with four rebounds and an assist.
- Junior guard Jacob Link and freshman forward Seth Stanley each produced 10-point performances against the Wildcats; also combined for 13 rebounds and seven assists; shot 7-of-8 at the free throw combined as well.
- Freshman forward Carl Fitch added eight points on an efficient 4-of-9 from the floor; also grabbed five boards.
- Brasfield five-point, four-rebound, three-assist performance against Louisiana College in 25 minutes of work. 
- The Wildcats outscored Hendrix in bench points (38-13) and points off turnovers (29-13) while Hendrix bested Louisiana College at the free throw line; the Warriors shot 13-of-18 (72.2%) while the Wildcats netted an 8-for-12 mark (66.7%).

WHO'S NEXT
Hendrix stays in Belton, TX when the Warriors battle tournament host University of Mary-Hardin-Baylor Saturday at 5 PM in the final game of the Cru Holiday Classic. For the latest news regarding Hendrix Warrior Athletics, follow @HendrixWarriors on Twitter and Instagram, and like us on Facebook. Be sure to follow @HCscoreboard for all your in-game live updates as well.