Box Score The Basics
-Score: St. Mary's 81, St. Edward's 56
-Records: St. Edward's 14-13, 3-6 HC: St. Mary's 16-6, 8-4 HC
-Location: Austin, Texas (Recreation and Convocation Center)
 
How It Happened
-St. Edward's raced out to a 9-4 lead in the game's first four minutes thanks to seven points by SHIMEEK JOHNSON.
-The Hilltoppers would hold that lead for the first 14 minutes. A rebound and putback by Isaiah Matthews at the 6:08 mark gave St. Mary's a 20-19 advantage. The Rattlers took a 35-29 advantage into the break.
-Out of the break, Kevin Kotzur came out storming for the Rattlers scoring the first 10 points for the visitors as they opened up a double-digit spread in the half's first five minutes.
-The lead would grow to more than 20 with less than three minutes remaining and St. Mary's coasted from there.
 
Beyond the Box Score
-This was the 10th-straight time the Rattlers have defeated the Hilltoppers and they now own a 94-51 lead in the all-time series.
-With the victory in both the men and women's games tonight, St. Mary's picks up one point in the annual “Battle of the Saints” competition between both schools. The Hilltoppers still own a 3-2 advantage with six points still up for grabs.
-The Hilltoppers still have a shot at the conference's last playoff spot with five league games remaining. The top four teams will advance to post season play.
 
2012-13 Heartland Conference Men's Basketball Standings
Team                           Conference             Overall
Newman                              8-3                       18-4
UA Fort Smith                     8-3                       13-9
St. Mary's                            8-4                       16-6
TAMU-International          6-5                      12-10
UT-Permian Basin              5-6                       9-11
Dallas Baptist                      4-6                       8-13
St. Edward's                        3-6                      14-13
Panhandle State                0-10                      4-19
McMurry                             0-0                       14-7
Oklahoma Christian           0-0                       14-8
 
Up Next
The Hilltoppers will be back in action on Saturday afternoon as they take on Texas A&M-International. Tip-off is set for 5 p.m. at the Recreation and Convocation Center on the St. Edward's campus. It will also be Homecoming on the Hilltop. Live video and stats will be available through the Hilltopper website.