AUSTIN, Texas – GAVINO RAMOS led four St. Edward's starters in double figures, and the men's basketball team defeated St. Francis 72-63 to sweep the two-game home series against the Saints. 
 
With both teams playing each other for the second time in three days, St. Francis made several adjustments with a more physical game plan, limiting St. Edward's to five offensive rebounds after getting buried under second-chance points in the first. 
 
Offensively, the Saints redirected their attack, running many of their sets through center Ben Faatz. After attempting just four shots on Thursday, making only a single 3-pointer, Faatz was featured in the post repeatedly. The 6-foot-10 junior went to work with methodical footwork and a soft shooting touch, scoring eight points on 4-for-6 shooting in the first half. 
 
St. Edward's starting backcourt countered with seven points each on a combined 6-for-9 shooting. JEFF GARY scored seven early points, beginning with a foot-on-the-line fast-break 3-pointer on a feed from Nielsen, a 3-pointer on an assist by CONOR MCMANUS, and another pull-up jumper in transition to keep the Hilltoppers steady through an 11-11 start six minutes in. 
 
Another adjustment St. Francis made was running St. Edward's off the 3-point line, limiting the Hilltoppers to 3-for-8 from deep in the first half. The Hilltoppers turned to its defense to find advantages with five steals, including three from McManus, who pried the ball loose, digging in with help on drives for a solid floor game in the first half, hitting a 3-pointer and dishing two assists. 
 
SEAN ELKINTON was solid with eight points on seven shots in a balanced scoring attack to lead the Hilltoppers to a 33-30 lead at the break. 
 
St. Edward's opened the second half with a 12-4 run to go up 11 six minutes into the half on a floater from Ramos. From there, St. Edward's kept St. Francis at bay the rest of the way, with the lead never dropping below seven or rising about 12. 
 
With St. Francis focusing on disrupting St. Edward's off-ball movement with physical play, BLAKE NIELSEN and Ramos – the two Hilltoppers most often creating for others – were challenged to create their own offense in isolation. 
 
The duo succeeded, combining for 23 second-half points on nine-for-12 shooting. Ramos patiently went through each offensive read, and when those ran out, he simply put his head down for 12 points on five shots, hitting a 3-pointer and adding three free throws. Nielsen went with his combination of drives and spins out of the mid-post, working his way to 11 points on 5-for-7 shooting. 
 
Ramos finished with 19 points, seven rebounds, and three assists. Nielsen and Gary scored 15 each and combined for 11 rebounds, and Elkinton added 12 points and five rebounds. 
 
St. Edward's improved to 5-2. The Hilltoppers will have some time off for Thanksgiving and will return to action on Nov. 30 on the road against Eastern New Mexico.