Outscoring the visiting Strake Jesuit Crusaders, 23-7, in the second quarter, the Jesuit Dallas Rangers finished the opening week of basketball action 2-0 after a 72-51 triumph over the Crusasders on Friday afternoon inside Walsh Gym.

Shooting 4-of-9 from three-point range and 6-of-12 overall, sophomore Michael Jankovich finished the game with a team-high 20 points, tacking on five boards and three assists.  In total, the Rangers went 12-of-24 from outside the arc while making 45.5 percent of their shots from the floor, out-rebounding the Crusaders, 37-25.

Three Rangers finished the game in double digits, as junior Dixon Smith and sophomore Reid Hatzmann closed out the 2015-16 home opener with 14 points each.  Smith tacked on a team-high two steals while senior Ben Kunasek led the team with six assists.  Junior Alan Garcia continued his strong opening week with nine points, five rebounds and two assists.

Strake Jesuit took an early, 7-0 lead less than three minutes into the first quarter, but the Rangers responded quickly with a 9-0 run to take the lead.  The Crusaders would not lead for the remainder of the contest, only able to merely tie the game twice over the next two quarters. 

Taking a 15-12 advantage into the second quarter, the Rangers used a 12-3 run to take a 27-18 lead with 2:12 left in the first half.  Jesuit Dallas finished the first half in a flurry, using a 9-1 run to end the half after a jumper by Prendergast, three-pointer by Jankovich and fast break layup by Smith during a 40 second span gave the home team a 19-point halftime lead.

The Rangers would hold a double-digit lead through the rest of the contest, answering an eight-point run by Strake with a seven-point run of their own, heading into the fourth with a 17-point advantage.  A layup by senior Shawn Regan bolstered the lead to a game-high 27-points with 5:24 remaining on the clock.  The Jesuit Dallas defense made a major impact in the fourth and did not allow a Strake Jesuit field goal after the 4:06 mark in the quarter.

Jesuit Dallas will welcome the Highland Park Scots to Walsh Gym on Tuesday night at 7:30 p.m. in the Rangers' last action before Thanksgiving.