FORT SMITH, Ark. – Senior guard JOHN GRAMLICH matched his career high with 27 points Saturday to lead St. Edward's to a 90-85 road victory over UA Fort Smith at the Stubblefield Center.
 
Gramlich was 5-for-8 from the 3-point line and 9-of-18 from the floor. St. Edward's (13-7, 5-2 Heartland) also got 20 points from senior RAMIR BURTON.
 
The Hilltoppers move into a tie with TAMU-International for first place in the Heartland Conference. UA Fort Smith (10-9, 4-4 Heartland) falls to sixth place in the league.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• UA Fort Smith scored the first basket of the game, but St. Edward's never trailed the rest of the contest.
• The Hilltoppers held an excellent-shooting Lion squad to just 38 percent shooting from the floor in the first half.
• Gramlich got hot down the stretch, scoring 12 of his 14 first-half points in the final 7:05 of action to lead St. Edward's to a 46-40 lead at halftime.
• In the second half, the Lions started on a 7-2 run to close within one of St. Edward's.
• Five points each from Gramlich and sophomore JAMES TAYLOR extended the Hilltopper lead to 58-47 with 16:02 remaining.
• UA Fort Smith continued to pressure St. Edward's, but Gramlich and Burton had an answer each time. Gramlich scored 11 points in the second half and Burton collected seven points in the last five minutes of action.

 
HILLTOPPER NOTES

• Gramlich matched his career-high, set his freshman season against Texas A&M-Commerce. The game marks the fifth time the guard has scored more than 20 points this season.
• The five makes from the 3-point line for Gramlich is a season high.
• Burton continues to play consistent basketball scoring in double figures for a 16th-straight game.
• St. Edward's closed the gap in the all-time series to 6-10. This was the first win at UAFS since 2009-10 season.

 
QUOTE BOARD: HEAD COACH ANDRE COOK
"This was a big win today. After a tough loss to Rogers State on Thursday, it was great to come out ahead. Our seniors were excellent with Ramir (Burton) and John (Gramlich) combining for 47 points in a tough environment. UAFS is not an easy place to win. Our guys were locked in."
 
UP NEXT
St. Edward's returns home Thursday for a 7:30 p.m. matchup against Lubbock Christian inside the Recreation and Convocation Center. Live stats and video will be available at www.GoHilltoppers.com.
 
GAME INFORMATION
Score: St. Edward's 90, UA Fort Smith 85
Records: St. Edward's (13-7, 5-2 Heartland), UA Fort Smith (10-9, 4-4 Heartland)
Leading Scorers: St. Edward's-Gramlich (27), UA Fort Smith-Youngblood (20)
Attendance: 1,001
 
HEARTLAND CONFERENCE STANDINGS
Team                           Conference                Overall
St. Edward's                        5-2                         13-7
TAMU-International             5-2                         11-6
Dallas Baptist                      4-2                         9-6
Newman                              4-2                         6-9
Rogers State                       4-3                         11-6
UA Fort Smith                      4-4                         10-9
Lubbock Christian                3-3                         9-7
St. Mary's                             3-4                         5-11
Oklahoma Christian            1-5                          6-8
Panhandle State                  0-6                         5-10

For the latest updates on the St. Edward's men's basketball team, follow us on Twitter at @SEUMBasketball.