DALLAS – The St. Edward's men's basketball team ran into hot-shooting Dallas Baptist Thursday, falling to the Patriots, 93-85 at the Burg Center.
 
Dallas Baptist (18-9, 12-5 Heartland) shot 60 percent from the field and 16-for-16 at the free throw line to move into a tie for first place in the conference. St. Edward's (17-13, 9-8 Heartland) stays in sixth place in the league standings.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• Dallas Baptist took an early 11-point lead in the first four minutes of play as they made six of its first eight shots from the floor.
• Sophomore JAMES TAYLOR came off the bench to spark a St. Edward's rally.
• Taylor scored 13 first-half points to give the Hilltoppers a six-point lead with 4:57 remaining in the first half.
• St. Edward's took a narrow 39-38 advantage into the break.
• In the second half, the Hilltoppers held the lead for the first six minutes of play before Dallas Baptist started to heat up from the field once again.
• The Patriots held the lead for the rest of the way, but St. Edward's did not go down without a fight.
• Two free throws by senior RAMIR BURTON cut the lead to 79-76 with 2:49 remaining.
• Dallas Baptist responded with two three pointers and six consecutive free throws to clinch the victory.

 
HILLTOPPER NOTES

• Both Burton and senior ETHAN GILBERT led the team with 20 points, while Taylor ended with 16.
• Senior JOHN GRAMLICH and junior SEAN WATKINS rounded out the double figure scoring with 10 points each.
• Gramlich dished out a season high seven assists to lead St. Edward's.
• St. Edward's still leads the all-time series, 15-14, but the Patriots have won five straight matchups.

QUOTE BOARD: HEAD COACH ANDRE COOK
"We really battled tonight. I was proud of our guys for their tremendous effort. Patrick Burke was too much for us and DBU made a ton of clutch shots. I do believe we are playing better however. We need to finish strong at Lubbock."
 

UP NEXT
St. Edward's wraps up the regular season Saturday as they travel to face Lubbock Christian at 2 p.m. in the Rip Griffin Center. Live stats and video will be available at GoHilltoppers.com.
 
GAME INFORMATION
Score: Dallas Baptist 93, St. Edward's 85
Records: St. Edward's (17-13, 9-8 Heartland), Dallas Baptist (18-9, 12-5 Heartland)
Leading Scorers: St. Edward's-Gilbert/Burton (20), Dallas Baptist-Burke (37)
Attendance: 423
 




HEARTLAND CONFERENCE STANDINGS
Team                           Conference               Overall
Rogers State                       12-5                       19-8
TAMU-International             12-5                       19-9
UA Fort Smith                      12-5                       19-10
Dallas Baptist                      12-5                       18-9
Lubbock Christian                11-6                       17-10
St. Edward's                        9-8                         17-13
St. Mary's                             7-10                       10-17
Newman                               7-10                       9-17
Oklahoma Christian            3-14                       8-17
Panhandle State                  0-17                       5-21

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