AUSTIN, Texas- St. Edward's University Men's Basketball (9-1, 2-0) remained undefeated in Heartland Conference action on Saturday with a 90-77 win over Oklahoma Christian (3-6, 0-1).
 
 A quality team effort produced four double-digit scorers for the Hilltoppers. After a record-setting performance against Newman on Wednesday, RAMIR BURTON led the way with 20 points. Right behind Burton was FRANKIE MGBOLU who started an early campaign for an all-Heartland Conference nod. The senior scored 17 points with seven assists and five steals. JOHN GRAMLICH and TREY LINDSEY added 12 points each while QUINTON LILLEY led on the glass with six rebounds.
 
"We are playing efficient basketball right now. Oklahoma Christian may have shot a great percentage, but we only committed eight turnovers tonight, and that gives us more possessions," said head coach Andre Cook. "Saturday games are a grind. They are never going to be pretty, but our guys battled and they got through it. They're tough kids, we are 2-0, and I am extremely proud of them."
 
The game opened fast as the first media timeout did not come until the 13-minute mark. In that span only four fouls were called, and the Hilltoppers jumped out to a five-point lead behind scoring from four separate individuals. An old-fashioned three-point play for TREY LINDSEY pushed the lead to six, but the Eagles battled back to take a five-point lead of their own with nine minutes left to play.
 
St. Edward's did not trail for long. JAMES TAYLOR came off the bench to sink a three and give the lead back to the Toppers, and Gramlich added a three of his own to help keep the edge. A layup from Lilley, with time expiring, would give coach Cook's team a 45-40 lead at the break.
 
In the second half St. Edward's only trailed once. Full-court pressure on defense forced mistakes by the Eagles, leading to 36 points off of turnovers. The Hilltoppers used a three-point basket from Lilley to retake the lead with 16 minutes to play, and did not look back.
 
"My teammates helped so much with my game today," said Mgbolu. "When guys are making shots it gives me more space. We struggled in the first half, but in the second we played great team ball and had a lot of energy."
 
The Hilltoppers will take a break for the holidays before continuing Heartland Conference action on New Year's Eve at Arkansas Fort Smith. Tipoff is set for 3 p.m. with live stats and video available at GoHilltoppers.com.
 

Heartland Conference Standings
Team	HC	Overall
St. Edward's	2-0	9-1
Rogers State*	2-0	10-0
UT-Permian Basin	1-0	6-3
TAMU-International	1-0	7-3
UA Fort Smith	1-1	8-2
Lubbock Christian	1-1	7-3
St. Mary's	1-1	5-5
Oklahoma Christian	0-1	3-6
Newman	0-2	7-3
Panhandle State	0-2	6-3
Dallas Baptist	0-2	6-4
* Not eligble for postseason play
Saturday, Dec. 19
St. Edward's def. Oklahoma Christian, 90-77
UA Fort Smith def. Dallas Baptist 74-66
Lubbock Christian def. St. Mary's 70-62
TAMU-International def. Panhandle State, 89-60
UT-Permian Basin def. Newman, 106-97
Thursday, Dec. 31
St. Edward's at UA Fort Smith			3:00 PM
Panhandle State at Lubbock Christian			5:30 PM
TAMU-International at Oklahoma Christian			7:30 PM
St. Mary's at Newman			7:30 PM
UT-Permian Basin at Rogers State			7:30 PM