AUSTIN, Texas—The St. Edward's basketball team defeated Colorado Christian, 68-58, in its home opener Friday evening at the Recreation and Convocation Center. The Hilltopper squad continues on with the Heartland-Rocky Mountain Conference Challenge Saturday.
 
Returning Hilltopper FRANKIE MGBOLU led St. Edward's to its victory scoring 19 points and grabbing six boards. Senior forward HARLEY NUSSMAN registered a double-double with 13 points and 12 rebounds, a game-high.  
 
The home team jumped out to an 11-4 advantage in the first five minutes of action, but Colorado Christian found itself within one after a six-point run led by Joey Trinkle. Two jumpers and a three-pointer from Michael Brown helped to keep the Hilltoppers within reach of the visitors. The senior guard then hit two free-throws to pass St. Edward's, 32-29.
 
In the first half, the Cougars outshot the home team with a field goal percentage of 44.0 percent compared to 33.3 percent. The Hilltoppers did themselves no favors, going 0-for-7 from beyond the arc. Even with 10 turnovers, Colorado Christian managed a 35-31 lead going into half.
 
As play resumed in the second half, JAE RICKETTS, coming off the bench, sparked a 10-1 with his three points. Clinging to a one-point lead, the Hilltoppers got their first three-pointer of the night from ETHAN GILBERT on their way to a comfortable 6-0 run. St. Edward's would hold on from there.
 
The key to the game for the Hilltoppers was their second-half defensive pressure on the cougars. In the final frame, they forced the visitors into 13 turnovers and just 29.4% shooting from the field.
 
The Hilltoppers face Colorado Mesa Saturday at 4:00 p.m. Live coverage and statistics will be available on the Hilltopper Athletic Website.