DALLAS – The St. Edward's men's basketball team and Dallas Baptist exchanged big shot after shot like a pair of heavyweight fighters standing toe-to-toe throwing haymakers in the center of the ring. But, when the dust settled, the Hilltoppers were the last team standing with a 74-71 victory. 

UCHE DIBIAMAKA led the three Hilltoppers in double figures with 24 points, including five consecutive points in the final two minutes on a pair of free throws and a 3-pointer to put St. Edward's up for good. 

St. Edward's opened at a comfortable pace, going to the burgeoning BLAKE NIELSEN to SEAN ELKINTON connection for a layup and two early free throws. Elkinton continues to make a name for himself across the Lone Star Conference with his league-leading sixth double-double, scoring 20 points and pulling down 10 rebounds with three assists. 

The 6-foot-8 freshman center has reached double figures in 11 of his past 12 games, learning to play off St. Edward's assortment of moving parts in the offense. Elkinton shot 5-for-7 from the field, including a 3-pointer, and got to the free-throw line 10 times, hitting nine. 

Dallas Baptist reserve Isaac Bullard nearly matched Elkinton, scoring 15 points on 6-for-9 shooting and three free throws, using his speed to get into transition and quickness and strength to get to the rim. The 6-foot-4 redshirt sophomore led a Dallas Baptist second unit that outscored its Hilltopper counterparts 19-5. 

The Patriot bench trio of Ballard, Javion Richard, Jaden Shelvin, and starters Jalen White and Ta'jay Dunlap turned up the defensive pressure and extended it fullcourt, sparking a 13-1 run to give Dallas Baptist a 30-17 lead midway through the first half. 

St. Edward's closed the half on a 16-6 run sparked by a layup and foul drawn by JEFF GARY, who converted the 3-point play. Elkinton and Dibiamaka carried most of the scoring load the rest of the run, combining for 13 points over the final 8:35, closing the half with 13 and nine points each on a combined 6-for-7 shooting. 

The Hilltoppers shot 11-for-23 before the break, including 3-for-6 from deep, and hit 10-of-12 free-throw attempts. St. Edward's also assisted on seven of its 11 made field goals. Dallas Baptist was paced by Bullard's 11 first-half points and got an efficient 10 points by starter Carson Hughes, shooting 3-for-4 from the field, including 2-for-3 from beyond the 3-point line. 

After each team reeled off an extended run in the first half, both teams played on even terms throughout the second. 

St. Edward's got downhill and into the paint to open the second half, getting a fastbreak layup from Nielsen off a steal, a driving layup from GAVINO RAMOS, and a pass from Dibiamaka to Elkinton for the Hilltoppers' first three baskets. 

Dibiamaka followed with a 3-pointer from Nielsen to tie the game at 48, evening the score for the first time since early in the first half. 

After a slow start to the season by his all-conference standards, Dibiamaka is ramping up as the year goes further into conference play, following a similar trend to last season. Dibiamaka has reached double digits in five consecutive games and hit the 20-point mark for the second time in the past four games. 

His 24 points against Dallas Baptist represent his season-high, which comes on his most efficient performance this year. Dibimaka finished 9-for-12 from the field, including 4-for-7 from deep, while making both of his free throws for a .923 True Shooting Percentage, which factors in 3-pointers and free-throw attempts. 

The Hilltoppers needed every single one of his shots. Neither Dallas Baptist nor St. Edward's could muster more than a five-point swing through most of a second half in which the score was tied eight times, and the lead changed thrice. 

The Patriots put pressure across the defense with a balanced attack led by starters Cameron Kahn, Dunlap, and White, who combined for 23 points on 8-for-14 shooting. However, Elkinton remained a steady presence for the Hilltoppers with seven points and four rebounds, and Ramos stepped up with nine points, hitting 3-for-5 from the field and 3-for-4 from the free-throw line to set the stage for Dibiamaka. 

Dibiamaka is the rare star with an off-the-dribble scoring punch who curtails his self-creation for the good of the team's offensive system. Dibiamaka scored 15 points on seven shots in the second half, cutting backdoor for dunks and layups, curling off screens or sprinting in transition for open 3-pointers, and then creating his own shot on a drive and jump-stop fadeaway in the paint when everything else broke down. 

And then there's the defensive end. Head coach Andre Cook has tasked Dibiamaka with guarding all five positions at different points this season, and he put on a masterclass with a little more than three minutes remaining and St. Edward's trailing by one.

Dibiamaka shutdown Bullock on one end, taking the contact in the paint on a powerful spin and recovering to contest the shot. On the ensuing offensive possession, Dibiamaka drew a foul on Bullock on a backdoor cut to hit a pair of free throws for the lead. 

Then, after collecting a defensive rebound, Dibiamaka pulled up for an off-the-dribble 3-pointer when his defender went under on a Nielsen screen, giving St. Edward's a 70-66 lead. 

Dallas Baptist's Kahn and St. Edward's Nielsen traded a basket each, and Dunlap nailed a big 3-pointer bringing Dallas Baptist within one with 33 seconds remaining. After each team turned the ball over, Ramos hit free throws to extend the lead to three. Lujan got a quality look from deep for the Patriots, but the shot went wayward, and St. Edward's escaped with the win.

The Hilltoppers improved to 12-5 with a 6-2 conference record after the critical win over Dallas Baptist, dropping the Patriots to 5-3 in conference play. St. Edward's will return to the road next week for away games against Oklahoma Christian and Arkansas Fort Smith.