AUSTIN – Outside the Recreation and Athletic Center, temperatures dropped down between the mid-to-low 30s. Inside, the St. Edward's men's basketball team cranked up the heat defensively in a 90-58 win over the University of St. Francis (Ill.).
GAVINO RAMOS returned to the starting lineup after a few games missed and added some punch off the bounce, finding UCHE DIBIAMAKA for an early jumper and showing great chemistry with MASON HIX, connecting with the versatile forward on a 3-pointer and pair of jumpers for an early 15-8 lead.
Roughly seven minutes into the game, St. Edward's turned to the bench and its second unit put the Hilltoppers into overdrive, inserting BLAKE NIELSEN, BENNETT MOHN, Uzo Dibiamaka, and Jeff Gary and reeling off a 19-5 run over the next seven minutes.
The run was sparked on the defensive end. Uzo Dibiamaka blocked a Jalen Reneau pull-up 3-pointer and then drew an offensive foul fighting over an illegal screen set by Casmir Ochiaka with the latter picking up a technical in frustration. Gary hit both free throws to put the Hilltoppers up 17-10 and Gordon followed a missed Nielsen jumper with a tip-in.
Gordon then knocked the ball loose from Ibrahim Mobayed, triggering a fast break capped off by a Nielsen layup form Gary. The Hilltoppers extended their defense the length of the court, forcing three consecutive turnovers for layups before the Saints could cross halfcourt, leading to a technical foul by the St. Francis bench for another pair of Gary free throws and a 27-10 lead.
The defensive pressure continued with St. Edward's challenging every pass. Nielsen ripped Reneau and fed Gordon trailing on the break for a dunk, then Gordon stepped in front of an Aitor Anabitarte pass, leading to a UCHE DIBIAMAKA jumper.
St. Edward's forced 17 turnovers in the first half, including 12 steals, to lead 52-25 at the break. The Hilltoppers outscored the Saints 25-11 off turnovers, including a 17-6 edge in fast-break points. The Hilltoppers took 15 more shot attempts, connecting on 55.3 percent, including 4-for-10 from deep to lead by as much as 29.
The Hilltoppers extended the lead to 37 in the second half with a 10-0 run capped off by a UCHE DIBIAMAKA 3-pointer off a feed from Nielsen. The Hilltopper defense smothered St. Francis, even as both teams went deep into their benches, limiting the Saints to 10-for-23 shooting.
Hix led St. Edward's with 20 points on 8-for-12 shooting, including 4-for-7 from deep. The senior forward continues to be a barometer for the Hilltopper offense scoring in a variety of ways within the flow of the system via his combination of shooting, mobility, and length inside. UCHE DIBIAMAKA handles much of the self-creation as a go-to scorer, finishing with 14 points on 6-for-13 shooting with four rebounds and three assists.
Gary combined his ability to get to the free-throw line from the previous game with an efficient afternoon from the floor, scorching the nets for 18 points on an 89.29 true-shooting percentage, hitting 5-for-7, and making all seven free-throw attempts. Nielsen led the second unit by filling up the box score with nine points on 4-for-8 shooting, nine assists, and three steals, making an insane feed to Gordon in the second. Posting up on the left side, Nielsen received the entry pass and made a tight spin baseline in one motion, and threaded a needle through two defenders on a no-look pass to Gordon cutting down the middle for a layup.
St. Edward's earned its fourth consecutive victory to improve to 4-1 and will host Southwestern University on Tuesday at 6:00 p.m.
