AUSTIN, Texas – The St. Edward's men's basketball team was hot from the outside in their exhibition opener, nailing 19 shots from behind the arc on its way to a 95-69 thrashing of Mary Hardin-Baylor Saturday afternoon at the Recreation and Convocation Center. The 19 makes would have been a school record had it been a regular season game.
 
Mary Hardin-Baylor started the game strong, taking a 10-5 lead in the first three minutes of action. The Crusaders made their mark at the free throw line in the opening stanza, making 4-of-5 freebies to go along with three layups. Thomas Orr had four points to lead the opening run for Mary Hardin-Baylor.
 
St. Edward's responded with a 14-0 run over the next four minutes. The Hilltoppers got treys by JAMES STUKES and JOHN RUTHERFORD during the run and also forced the crusaders into three turnovers.
 
After Mary Hardin-Baylor cut the lead to five with 12:49 left in the first half, St. Edward's started to hit from outside. Rutherford hit two more treys to start the rally and JEFF CAMPBELL finished off the run by making three shots from behind the arc in a row. The 22-7 run gave the Hilltoppers a commanding 42-21 lead with 8:16 on the clock. Campbell's last three-pointer turned into a four-point play as he was fouled and made a free throw.
 
The lead would grow to as many as 26, but a late push by the Crusaders cut the lead to 58-36 at the break.
 
St. Edward's was 13-of-23 from behind the three-point line in the opening half.
 
In the second half, the lead would never dip below 20 points as the Hilltoppers played outstanding defense.
 
Campbell led the Hilltoppers with 16 points, going 5-of-7 from the three-point line, while JOSEPH SALDANA added 15 points of his own. Stukes tallied 13 points on 5-of-7 shooting, which included making both of his three-pointers. Both HARLEY NUSSMAN and CHRIS WACKER chipped in with 10 points.
 
St. Edward's will open up regular season play by hosting the St. Edward's Shootout November 9-10. The Hilltoppers will take on Texas A&M-Commerce on Friday at 8:00 p.m. at the RCC. On Saturday, the Hilltoppers will play Incarnate Word, with tip-off set for 8:30 p.m. Live Video and Stats for all tournament games will be available on the Hilltopper Athletic Website.