Box Score SAN ANTONIO, Texas –
ETHAN GILBERT posted the first double-double of his career, and
RAMIR BURTON scored 23, but St. Edward's Men's Basketball could not overcome St. Mary's as they fell 84-77 on Thursday.
Gilbert scored 14 points, going 7-for-7 from the free-throw line, and his 10 rebounds serve as a career high. Burton went 7-for-15 from the field with a three pointer and eight free throws.
SEAN WATKINS chipped in 12 points on 3-of-4 shooting from behind the arc, and
JOHN GRAMLICH dished out five assists.
The Hilltoppers fall to 15-9 overall, and 8-6 in the Heartland Conference. St. Mary's improves to 9-14 and 5-10. St. Edward's still holds a 3.5-1.5 point advantage in the 2015-16 Battle of the Saints.
"With the injuries of
AUBRIE KING and
FRANKIE MGBOLU, we were short-handed tonight," said head coach Andre Cook. "Our guys battled, but give St. Mary's credit. They have some fine young players, and play really hard. We have no time to feel sorry for ourselves and our situation. I know Texas A&M-International won't feel bad. We need to lace them up tight, and figure out how to get a win in Laredo, Texas."
An early 6-0 run for St. Edward's gave the visitors a four-point advantage at the first media timeout. However, the Rattlers responded back with seven points of their own. A back-and-forth battle put the game at 30-30 with four minutes to play. However, a 10-0 stretch for the home squad put the Hilltoppers in a 40-32 hole at the half.
Coach Cook's team outscored St. Mary's 45-44 in the second period, but could never overtake the Rattlers. The Hilltoppers closed the game with advantages in steals, and turnover margin, but the home team's presence in the paint was too much.
St. Edward's men will look to bounce back on Saturday at Texas A&M-International. Tipoff is scheduled for 3 p.m. Live stats and video will available through links at GoHilltoppers.com.
| Heartland Conference Standings | | |
| Team | HC | OVERALL |
| Dallas Baptist | 11-3 | 17-5 |
| Rogers State* | 11-4 | 19-4 |
| Lubbock Christian | 10-5 | 16-7 |
| UA Fort Smith | 10-5 | 17-6 |
| TAMU-International | 10-5 | 15-8 |
| St. Edward's | 8-7 | 15-8 |
| Newman | 7-8 | 14-9 |
| UT-Permian Basin | 6-9 | 11-12 |
| St. Mary's | 5-10 | 9-14 |
| Oklahoma Christian | 3-12 | 6-17 |
| Panhandle State | 1-14 | 8-15 |
| *-Not Eligible for Postseason Play | | |
| | |
| Thursday, February 11 | | |
| St. Mary's def. St. Edward's, 84-77 | |
| Newman def. Oklahoma Christian, 76-58 | |
| TAMU-International def. UT-Permian Basin, 79-66 | |
| Rogers State def. Panhandle State, 94-63 |
| Lubbock Christian def. UA Fort Smith, 72-71 |
| | |
| Saturday, February 13 | | |
| St. Edward's at TAMU-International | | 3:00 PM |
| Dallas Baptist at Newman | | 3:00 PM |
| UT-Permian Basin at St. Mary's | | 3:00 PM |
| UA Fort Smith at Panhandle State | | 3:00 PM |
| Rogers State at Lubbock Christian | 3:00 PM |
| | |
| Monday, February 15 | |
| Dallas Baptist at Oklahoma Christian | 7:00 PM |
