AUSTIN, Texas – St. Edward's Men's Basketball (8-1, 1-0) opened Heartland-Conference play on Thursday night with a 98-90 win over Newman (7-2, 0-1), led by a record-setting performance from
RAMIR BURTON.
Burton scored 37 points, the most of his career, behind a single-game record 21 free throws. His previous career best was 35 against Panhandle State in 2014. The record-setting shot came with 27 seconds left in the game after Newman was whistled for its 26
th foul. The junior guard only missed one charity shot on the night and also finished with four rebounds and three assists.
FRANKIE MGBOLU joined in the fun with his best offensive night of the season, scoring 20 points while grabbing three rebounds.
ETHAN GILBERT also scored in double digits with 11.
JOHN GRAMLICH led the team in rebounding with seven boards and blocked one shot.
"If you were in practice Tuesday you would know that Ramir wasn't very good. We had a conversation Wednesday morning, and tonight he let his actions show that he is not the player he was in practice," said head coach Andre Cook. "It was a crazy game. The fouls and the craziness of opening night in the league put everyone on edge. It seemed like everyone had four fouls, but that's why it's a team game and it's great to be 1-0."
The game was a battle from the start as St. Edward's scored first on a Mgbolu layup, but Newman answered immediately with a jumper in the lane. Back-to-back baskets gave the Hilltoppers a slim advantage that they would hold until the 12:52 mark. However, the Jets clawed back and to take a five-point lead with under nine minutes left in the half.
SEAN WATKINS tickled the twine from downtown to make it 24-22, and
JAMES TAYLOR scored four-straight points to put the home team up by two. The lead exchanged hands two more times before the break, but a pair of layups from the Jets closed the half with the scored tied at 40.
In the first half only 16 fouls were whistled on both teams combined. Burton would go to the locker room with just six points and no free throws. However, the second half would be a different story.
Newman came out with two quick baskets to take a four-point lead. A layup from
QUINTON LILLEY and a three-point shot from Mgbolu helped put Cook's team back on top for the next eight minutes of play, but the Jets would not go away. A 14-2 run by the visitors put them in front by five with 10 minutes left.
Burton drained five-straight free throws to pull St. Edward's within one, forcing a sense of urgency from the Jets. Frustration eventually boiled over, resulting in a pair of technical fouls, and an ejection from the game. Burton stepped in again with three more freebies to make it 78-75; a lead the Hilltoppers would not surrender.
"It felt great, but it's not all about me. It's about my teammates," said Burton after his record-setting performance. "They (Newman) sagged off of me and Frank (Mgbolu) when we were coming off screens, and that opened our game up. I was able to make a few jump shots, get to the basket, and get fouled. We know we have to work way harder than we did last year because we don't want the same result. We want to win the conference."
With the win, St. Edward's extends its winning streak against Newman to six games, and moves to 1-0 in the Heartland Conference for the third-straight season.
Coach Cook and his team continue league play on Saturday against Oklahoma Christian at 3 p.m. on the hilltop in the second game of a men's and women's doubleheader. Fans who can't make it out to the Recreation and Convocation Center can follow live stats and video online at GoHilltoppers.com. Hilltopper athletics is also on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram at St. Edward's University athletics and @TopperPride.
| Heartland Conference Standings | | | |
| Team | HC | Overall | | | |
| Rogers State* | 2-0 | 10-0 | | | |
| St. Edward's | 1-0 | 8-1 | | | |
| St. Mary's | 1-0 | 5-4 | | | |
| TAMU-International | 1-0 | 6-3 | | | |
| UT-Permian Basin | 0-0 | 5-3 | | | |
| Oklahoma Christian | 0-0 | 3-5 | | | |
| Newman | 0-1 | 7-2 | | | |
| Panhandle State | 0-1 | 6-2 | | | |
| UA Fort Smith | 0-1 | 7-2 | | | |
| Dallas Baptist | 0-1 | 6-3 | | | |
| Lubbock Christian | 0-1 | 6-3 | | | |
| * Not eligble for postseason play | | | |
| | | | | |
| Thursday | | | | | |
| Rogers State def. UA Fort Smith, 100-95 |
| St. Mary's def. Panhandle State, 99-86 |
| TAMU-International def. Lubbock Christian 61-49 |
| | | | | |
| Saturday | | | | | |
| Oklahoma Christian at St. Edward's | 3:00 PM | | |
| Dallas Baptist at UA Fort Smith | | 2:00 PM | | |
| Newman at UT-Permian Basin | 3:00 PM | | |
| Lubbock Christian at St. Mary's | 3:00 PM | | |
| Panhandle State at TAMU-International | 3:00 PM | | |
