AUSTIN, Texas – St. Edward's men's basketball's whirling offensive machine ran into an Angelo State defense with enough wrenches to throw into the gears to slow the Hilltoppers and enough force to overpower them on the other end in a 98-78 victory for the Rams.
Angelo State opened the game with a sterling shooting performance from Kevon Godwin, who hit three quick 3-pointers in the first half on four attempts and blitzed the Hilltoppers for 11 first-half points. Willie Guy added another pair of 3-pointers, stepping behind screens for pull-up jumpers.
Fredelin De La Cruz and Devaughn Thomas complemented the outside shooting with their interior scoring, pouring in eight first-half points each on a combined 7-for-10 shooting.
The Hilltoppers shot a sizzling 69.6 percent from the field in the first half but could still be said to have struggled on offense, turning the ball over nine times, including six of the live-ball variety. Angelo State took nine more shot attempts in the first half, converting at a 53.1 percent clip, to take a 44-35 lead at the break.
Angelo State's defensive pressure started with Steve Webb, a graduate student in his fifth year of NCAA Division II basketball, not including a red-shirt season at Missouri-St. Louis, where he was a four-time all-defensive guard and three-time Defensive Player of the Year.
Webb and the Rams made St. Edward's work to get the ball up the court and make the first entry pass to initiate the offense. The physicality knocked the Hilltoppers off their preferred paths and severely limited their 3-point attempts without sacrificing driving lanes.
When St. Edward's could get into its offense, the Hilltoppers found success in two players who thrived in the physical setting. Freshman SEAN ELKINTON flourished on quick hitters inside for nine first-half points on 4-for-6 shooting, and UCHE DIBIAMAKA overpowered his defenders off the bounce for nine points on 4-for-5 shooting.
Elkinton and Dibiamaka opened the second half combining for seven quick points to cut their deficit to four in the first two minutes, but Angelo State quickly pushed the lead back up to double digits.
Dibiamaka made one last push with back-to-back baskets, including a fast-break dunk on a steal to cut the Angelo State lead to seven with 12:51 remaining, but a 16-5 run pushed Angelo State up 20 with 6:26 remaining.
Elkinton and Dibiamaka continued to light up the scoreboard with 25 combined points in the second half. BLAKE NIELSEN recovered from a shaky first half for seven second-half points and two assists with no turnovers. However, Angelo State shot 62.9 percent from the field and outscored the Hilltoppers 16-6 in second-chance points with a 14-4 advantage in bench points.
Godwin led Angelo State with a game-high 26 points, hitting 6-of-7 from deep and 10-for-13 overall. De La Cruz added 19 points, Webb had 13 points, five rebounds, four steals, and four assists, Gy scored 11 with four assists, and Thomas and Barlow Alleruzzo IV scored 10 each.
Dibiamaka led St. Edward's with 22 points on 9-for-14 shooting, and Elkinton added 21 points on 9-for-11 shooting with nine rebounds in just under 31 minutes. JEFF GARY scored 11 points on five shots. Angelo State outscored St. Edward's 23-6 in points off turnovers and 20-9 in second-chance points.
The Hilltoppers fall to 15-6 with the loss and 9-3 in conference play. St. Edward's will play on the road next week, facing Texas A&M - Kingsville on Thursday and Texas A&M International on Saturday.
