Box Score Box Score

THE RUNDOWN
AUSTIN, Texas – St. Edward's shot 54 percent from the floor to roll past St. Mary's Wednesday night, 90-76 at the RCC to secure its first Heartland Conference win. Landon Goesling led the Hilltoppers with 28 points and has scored in double figures all 10 games this season.

St. Mary's led the contest for just 17 seconds as SEU improved to 8-2 overall and 1-1 in conference play, while dropping the Rattlers to 3-8 overall and 0-1 in league contests. Coming into the game, SEU averaged 8.6 three-point field goals made per game, and the Hilltoppers hit just 4-of-14 from beyond the arc Wednesday, but it wouldn't matter as SEU hit 29-of-47 two-point attempts and dominated the paint, outscoring St. Mary's 46-34.

The transition game was key as the Hilltoppers faced a press for much of the contest, but were able to score 19 fast-break points compared to the Rattlers' four.

Goesling was 10-for-12 from the free-throw line and his consecutive streak of free throws made, dating back to 11/24 vs. Eastern New Mexico, snapped at 34. Dorian Lopez picked up his second consecutive double-double with 12 rebounds and 10 points. SEU head coach Andre Cook won his 125th game as head coach of the Hilltoppers in his ninth season.


HIGHLIGHTS
• Landon Goesling led SEU with 28 points including a 10-of-12 performance from the free-throw line, and he shot 8-of-12 from the floor.
• Goesling scored his 400th career point with his 13th of 28 Wednesday.
• Goesling's consecutive free throws streak dating back to 11/24 vs. ENMU snapped at 34 straight Wednesday.
• Goesling has scored in double figures all 10 games this season for SEU, and has 18 games with double-digit soring in his career.
• Dorian Lopez earned his second consecutive double-double with 10 points and 12 rebounds; it was his fourth of the season and fourth of his career.
• Lopez has eight games this season (22 career) with double-digit scoring and four with double-digit rebounds (7 career).
• Lopez's ninth rebound was the 250th of his career (his first 170 came with Oklahoma Christian as a freshman), and he carries 253 into Saturday's game.
• SEAN WATKINS scored 10 points on 4-of-5 shooting, and led the Hilltoppers with four assists.
• Watkins' four assists helped him crack into the SEU career record book by tying Darren Templeton (226, 1986-89) for 10th all-time on the career assists list.
• Watkins has scored in double digits six times this season and 22 times in his career.
• JAMES TAYLOR scored the 600th point of his career with his 12th Wednesday night; the junior finished with 17 points marking the 32nd time in his career he's finished with double-digit points.
• Freshman Corey Shervill had eight points and seven rebounds in 14 minutes of play.
• Wednesday's win was head coach Andre Cook's 125th as head coach of the Hilltoppers in his ninth season.

STAT OF THE GAME I
4 – SEU has won its last four matchups vs. St. Mary's in Austin after Wednesday's Battle of the Saints win.

THEY SAID IT
SEU head coach Andre Cook on picking up the first conference win of the season …
"Feels good. We don't play another one for a month so, if we were 0-2 that was going be tough to stare at that Heartland Conference standings and see 0-2 for a month. So, we really had to get this one. We were at home against our rival, the Battle of the Saints, so it feels good to get this one for sure."

Cook on playing a different style to get the win vs. St. Mary's …
"I was shocked at one point when I looked up, got handed the stats and there might have been 12 minutes to go, and we might have been up 16 –somewhere in that ball park - and I looked and we were 0-9 from three. That's a little different than how we do it. So, that's a good thing. We kind of went at it a different way, we made some threes in the last 10 minutes or so, but the guys battled. Landon Gosling didn't even practice a couple days ago, he's just been banged up, so, for him to come out and get 28, really, him and Jimmy [Taylor], it really gives our guys some confidence."

Cook on some unsung heroes vs. St. Mary's …
"I was happy. Corey Shervill has been battling injuries you know. He's over 10,000 miles away from home, he's a freshman. He had eight and seven tonight – that was big. Obviously, James [Taylor] gets a lot of talk for what he does coming into the game. But, Mark Patterson I thought too, was another guy that we don't always spend time talking a lot about – well I do – but publicly like this, Mark Patterson I thought gave us a spark today. So, shout out to all those guys from the bench because we are going to need those guys for sure.

WHAT'S NEXT
SEU will play Central Baptist College Saturday at 3 p.m. in a non-conference matchup in Austin.