AUSTIN, Texas – Feeding off a large homecoming crowd, St. Edward's played its best game of the year Saturday to take down conference leader Rogers State, 91-71, at the Recreation and Convocation Center.
 
St. Edward's (17-12, 9-7 Heartland) stays in sixth place in the Heartland Conference. Rogers State (19-8, 12-5 Heartland) falls into a four-way tie with five losses in the league.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• St. Edward's raced out to a 16-5 lead in the game's first six minutes behind senior RAMIR BURTON's eight points.
• Both teams excelled offensively in the first half, shooting 50 percent from the field.
• The Hilltoppers took a 41-37 lead at halftime.
• Rogers State held close to St. Edward's for the first five minutes of the second half.
• Leading 53-49, with 14:47, the Hilltoppers scored 11 straight points to take control of the game.

 
HILLTOPPER NOTES

• Senior JOHN GRAMLICH led all scorers with 25 points on 8-of-15 shooting from the field. He was perfect from the three-point line (3-3) and the free throw line (6-6).
• St. Edward's outrebounded its opponent for the first time in five games, 33-28.
• Junior SEAN WATKINS was 13-of-14 from the charity stripe, leading St. Edward's to an 84 percent shooting percentage.
• St. Edward's ties the all-time series with the Hillcats, 3-3.

 
QUOTE BOARD: HEAD COACH ANDRE COOK
"We were ready to play today. We have lost some tough games recently and this one was good for us. This was the first time this year that we put a complete game together. Hopefully this will propel us into the tournament."
 
UP NEXT
St. Edward's hits the road to face Dallas Baptist Thursday at 7 p.m. in the Burg Center.  Live stats and video will be available at GoHilltoppers.com.
 
GAME INFORMATION
Score: St. Edward's 91, Rogers State 71
Records: St. Edward's (17-12, 9-7 Heartland), Rogers State (19-8, 12-5 Heartland)
Leading Scorers: St. Edward's-Gramlich (25), Rogers State-Tisdale (18)
Attendance: 1028
 
HEARTLAND CONFERENCE STANDINGS
Team                           Conference                Overall
Rogers State                       12-5                       19-8
UA Fort Smith                      12-5                       19-10
TAMU-International             11-5                       18-9
Dallas Baptist                      11-5                       17-9
Lubbock Christian                10-6                       16-10
St. Edward's                        9-7                         17-12
St. Mary's                             7-9                         10-16
Newman                               6-10                       8-17
Oklahoma Christian            3-13                      8-16
Panhandle State                  0-16                       5-20

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