WICHITA, Kan. – St. Edward's Men's Basketball led Newman by as many as nine points, and the lead exchanged hands five times, but the Hilltoppers came just shy of the win in their regular-season finale on Saturday.
 
JOHN GRAMLICH scored 20 points for the visitors while grabbing two steals. AUBRIE KING added 12 while going 4-for-6 from behind the arc. TREY LINDSEY tallied two blocks, and SEAN WATKINS grabbed a pair of steals. The Hilltoppers outscored the Jets off of turnovers and off of the bench.
 
The loss gives St. Edward's the fifth seed in the Heartland Conference tournament next week in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The Hilltoppers finish the regular season 17-11 overall and 10-10 in the league.
 
"This has kind of been the theme of our year," said head coach Andre Cook. "We have had the ball four times this year, down by one, and we are 0-4. We have executed poorly in all those situations, and that's poor coaching. I need to help them more. We have to look forward to the tournament. Someone is going to win three games in Tulsa, and we have as good of a chance as anyone to do it."
 
Newman opened the game with an 11-0 run, but St. Edward's would not go so easily. RAMIR BURTON broke the scoring drought with a layup, and Lindsey dropped a three pointer to make it 11-5. With 11:45 to go in the half, King sparked a 14-0 run that would put the visitors up by one, 25-24. King broke the tie with another three, and the Hilltoppers would power into the half with a six-point lead.
 
The second half was competitive for the duration. Each team exchanged baskets, and no one led by more than two possessions. With two minutes to play, Gramlich sank a three pointer to give St. Edward's a two-point edge. As time wound down, Newman converted a three pointer of their own, going up 69-68. A layup by Gramlich with eight seconds to go put coach Cook's team up by one, but a foul in the final seconds gave the Jets a chance to win.
 
Tournament play starts next week with final seeds yet to be decided. All the action will be available through links at GoHilltoppers.com. Fans can also follow the postseason journey on social media by searching St. Edward's University Men's Basketball.