OKLAHOMA CITY – GAVINO RAMOS scored a career-high 24 points, scorching the nets to lead the St. Edward's men's basketball team to a 102-79 win over the Oklahoma Christian Eagles. 

All five Hilltopper starters scored in double figures, and four did so while missing only two shots. The starting lineup hit a combined 30-of-44 shots, including a blistering 11-for-18 from deep to bury Oklahoma Christian. 

Oklahoma Christian nailed a 3-pointer on its opening possession. The lead lasted all of one minute and 33 seconds and would be its final lead of the game. St. Edward's responded with a 14-0 run in under four minutes of play, hitting 6-for-7 from the field and 2-for-3 from the free-throw line. 

Ramos scored five points over that stretch, puncturing the Eagles' zone defense for a layup off the dribble on St. Edward's first possession. Then, after a Uche Dibiamka 3-pointer and BLAKE NIELSEN hook shot in the lane, Ramos scored again. St. Edward's sophomore point guard initiated the offense with a pass to the wing and immediately relocated to the opposite corner, beating the ball movement by fractions of a second for an open 3-pointer. 

St. Edward's dissected the Oklahoma Christian defense throughout the first half, connecting on 16-of-31 shots (51.6 percent), including 5-for-12 (41.7 percent) from deep before the break. The Hilltoppers assisted on nine of their 16 made baskets, led by Ramos's 13 points on 4-for-6 shooting. 

Oklahoma Christian battled back to within two on an 8-0 run capped off by a pair of Moun'tae Edmundson free throws to put the score at 39-37 with 1:22 remaining in the half. St. Edward's responded with a 6-0 run bookended by a JEFF GARY jumper and Ramos layup with four seconds remaining for a 45-37 lead at the break. 

Edmundson kept Oklahoma Christian afloat with 10 points on a pair of 3-pointers and four free throws in the first half. Reserve big man Javan Savic added nine points on three shots and three free throws off the bench, but the Eagles shot just 11-for-30 (36.7 percent) as a team. 

St. Edward's put the game out of reach early in the second half, hitting nine of its first 10 shots as part of a 24-9 run over the first six minutes. Ramos picked up where he left off in the first half, hitting back-to-back 3-pointers and a layup for eight consecutive points, followed by another 3-pointer a few possessions later to shoot a perfect 4-for-4 from the field in the second half. 

Oklahoma Christian's Karlyn Kenner broke free for 13 points on eight shots after the break, but it wasn't enough to overcome St. Edward's scoring depth. 

SEAN ELKINTON scored 11 of his 15 points in the second half, shooting 6-for-8 from the field and 3-for-5 from the free-throw line while grabbing nine rebounds, finishing one shy of a seventh career double-double. Gary added 10 of his 16 points after the break, finishing 5-for-7 from the field with six assists and three steals. 

Nielsen added 15 points, seven rebounds, and five assists, and UCHE DIBIAMAKA continued his strong play on both ends with 13 points on 5-for-7 shooting. MASON HIX led the Hilltoppers' second unit with seven points and three assists. 

Edmundson finished with a team-high 17 points on nine shots for Oklahoma Christian. Kenner contributed 16 points, and Savic and Shane Perales scored 11 each. 

The Hilltoppers finished with 55.9 percent shooting from the field, including 48.3 percent from deep, and hit 80 percent of their 15 free-throw attempts while assisting on 19 of 38 made field goals to just seven turnovers. 

St. Edward's improves to 13-5 with a 7-2 conference record. The Hilltoppers will face Arkansas Fort Smith on Saturday at 3:00 p.m.