AUSTIN, Texas – St. Edward's men's basketball pulled off its best Rumpelstiltskin impression, spinning missed shots into 3-point gold in the Hilltoppers' 91-68 win over the University of St. Francis Saints in the first of two games between the teams. 
 
St. Edward's shot just 41 percent from the field, making 32-for-78 but recovered over half of their misses, grabbing 24 offensive rebounds to outscore the Saints 22-3 in second-chance points. 
 
Several offensive rebounds turned into 3-pointers, sparking a 14-for-34 effort to outscore St. Francis 42-27 from deep. 
 
The game was highly competitive through the first 14 minutes. St. Francis opened the game with stretch bigs and large wings, inverting their offense to pull the Hilltopper bigs away and attack with physical perimeter players. Saints' big man Ben Faatz opened with a pick-and-pop 3-pointer, and EJ Charles blocked a SEAN ELKINTON layup attempt and then scored a layup for a quick 5-0 lead. 
 
St. Francis was scorching hot from the outside, hitting four of its first five 3-point attempts, with Lewis McGlasson making three quick 3-pointers off the bench. 
 
St. Edward's countered with patient ball movement and dribble penetration. The Hilltoppers softened the Saints' defense with flare screens and other off-ball actions, getting CONOR MCMANUS free for two early 3-pointers. Once the passing divided the defense's attention, the Hilltoppers capitalized with multiple drives and dishes into the paint. 
 
BLAKE NIELSEN got inside for six early points, and Elkinton had nine in the first 13 minutes, with the Saints keeping the game close at 29-25 with 6:34 remaining in the half. 
 
Nielsen and Elkinton sparked a 17-7 Hilltopper run on a dish to Elkinton for a 3-pointer. JAYDEN JOHNSTON added five points off the bench over the run, and JEFF GARY and Nielsen combined for seven over the final six minutes to push the Hilltoppers to a 46-32 lead. 
 
St. Edward's pressed its advantage in the second half. The ball movement, driving and kicking, then repeating the process forced multiple St. Francis defensive rotations on any given possession. When the Saints did force a stop, the defense was so out of position it surrendered offensive rebounds. 
 
Gary and reserve BENNETT MOHN led the Hilltoppers' second-half surge with nine points each, and Elkinton added eight points and four rebounds after the break. 
 
The Hilltoppers willed the numbers to their favor, grabbing offensive rebounds and forcing turnovers to gain a 78-41 advantage in shot attempts from the field. They leaned into the math a little further, at one point making 14 3-pointers to just six 3-pointers attempted by St. Francis to open a lead as high as 30 before the Saints closed the game making their last five 3-point attempts. 
 
Elkinton led St. Edward's with his fourth double-double in six games, scoring 22 points on 8-for-13 shooting and 11 rebounds. Gary added 15 points and three rebounds, BLAKE NIELSEN contributed 12 points, eight rebounds, four assists, and two steals, and Mohn caught fire with 12 points on 4-for-5 shooting from deep. 
 
Don Joachim led St. Francis with 15 points and five rebounds, and Te Jones added ten on 4-for-7 shooting. St. Edward's improves to 4-2. Both teams will play again on Saturday at 3 p.m.