SAN ANTONIO – St. Mary's hit a buzzer beater at the end of regulation and overtime Saturday to defeat St. Edward's men's basketball, 86-84 at Bill Greehey Arena.
 
St. Edward's (16-11, 8-6 Heartland) stays in a tie for fifth place in the Heartland Conference and St. Mary's (10-15, 7-8 Heartland) moves just one game behind the Hilltoppers in the standings.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• During a competitive first half, both teams traded leads before St. Mary's took a 33-32 advantage at the break.
• In the second half, neither team could separate themselves from the other, with the lead growing no larger than four points.
• After JOHN GRAMLICH made two free throws with six seconds left in regulation, St. Mary's hit a three-pointer at the buzzer to send the game to overtime.
• In the extra period, the Rattlers built a five-point lead in the final minute.
• The Hilltoppers came storming back, tying the game on a 3-point play by JAMES TAYLOR with 25 seconds left.
• St. Mary's delivered yet again with a jumper in the closing seconds to win the game.

 
HILLTOPPER NOTES

• RAMIR BURTON led the Hilltoppers with 23 points on 6-of-8 shooting. He made two shots from the 3-point line and went 9-for-10 at the free-throw line.
• St. Mary's outrebounded the Hilltoppers, 48-31.
• St. Edward's trails the all-time series, 102-52.

 
QUOTE BOARD: HEAD COACH ANDRE COOK
"That's as tough as a loss as we've had during my tenure. I feel bad for the guys. I'm sick for our seniors. However, this league does not allow you to wallow in despair. We have to pick ourselves up and get ready for our last home weekend."
 
UP NEXT
St. Edward's returns home to face UA Fort Smith at 7:30 p.m. Thursday. Live stats and video will be available at GoHilltoppers.com.
 
GAME INFORMATION
Score: St. Mary's 86, St. Edward's 84
Records: St. Edward's (16-11, 8-6 Heartland), St. Mary's (10-15, 7-8 Heartland)
Leading Scorers: St. Edward's-Burton (23), St. Mary's-Ferguson (25)
Attendance: 473
 
HEARTLAND CONFERENCE STANDINGS
Team                           Conference               Overall
Rogers State                       11-4                       18-7
UA Fort Smith                      10-5                       17-10
TAMU-International             10-5                       16-9
Dallas Baptist                      9-5                         15-9
St. Edward's                        8-6                         16-11
Lubbock Christian                8-6                         14-10
St. Mary's                             7-8                         10-15
Newman                               6-8                         8-15
Oklahoma Christian            3-11                       8-14
Panhandle State                  0-14                       5-18

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