FRISCO, Texas – St. Edward's men's basketball led Lubbock Christian for more than half the game but faded late in a 71-59 loss in the Lone Star Conference Tournament Quarterfinals.
Lubbock Christian opened with an early five-point lead, scoring on a short jumper from Kurt Wegscheider and a 3-pointer from Najeeb Muhammad.
BLAKE NIELSEN sparked the Hilltoppers with an offensive rebound that led to a SEAN ELKINTON layup, followed by a challenging UCHE DIBIAMAKA pull-up jumper. Then, Nielsen found BENNETT MOHN for a 3-pointer, followed by confidently taking a pull-up 3-pointer to cap a 10-0 run.
Nielsen led St. Edward's with 20 points, four rebounds, and two assists, shooting 8-for-15 from the field, including 2-for-5 from the 3-point line. The 6-foot-6 sophomore was aggressive throughout the game, working off the dribble and in the post with various spin moves, floaters, and hook shots from all over the floor.
The newly-minted all-conference player used his long arms to show the ball in exaggerated crossovers and hesitations to bait the defender. Then like Rumplestiltskin spinning straw into gold, he instantaneously transformed the slow, meticulous dribble into a centripetal force of nature with a devasting spin move.
He teamed with UCHE DIBIAMAKA to maintain St. Edward's lead over the final 15 minutes of the first half, combining for 15 points on 7-for-14 shooting to take a 27-22 lead at the break.
St. Edward's defense limited Lubbock Christian to 7-for-32 (21.9 percent) shooting in the first half. However, the Hilltoppers' struggles from outside (2-for-10) and lack of crisp movement (only two assists) prevented St. Edward's from building a more significant lead.
Lubbock Christian caught fire in the second half, getting double-digit scoring efforts from Russell Harrison, Rowan Mackenzie, and Wegscheider on a combined 13-for-19 shooting.
The Chaps tied the game six minutes into the second half on a Wegscheider layup and foul, converting the free throw to make everything even at 39. He gave Lubbock Christian the lead on its next possession with a layup off a feed from Aaron Gonzales.
St. Edward's briefly retook the lead on a pair of MASON HIX free throws and a turnaround jumper from Nielsen in the paint, but Lubbock Christian responded with an 11-0 run to go ahead for good. The final five points of the run came on the same possession when Fletcher MacDonald scored a layup through a foul, rebounded his own missed free throw, and Mackenzie got fouled on a 3-point attempt, converting all three. After JEFF GARY stopped the run with a jumper, the Chaps extended their lead to double-digits on a Harrison 3-pointer.
The Hilltoppers got the lead down as much as six with 3:47 remaining on a flurry of Elkinton free throws, but Lubbock Chrisitan responded with a 10-0 run to put the game away.
In addition to Nielsen's 20 points, Elkinton finished with 11 points and 18 rebounds, shooting 5-for-6 from the free-throw line to offset a rough shooting performance from the field.
Mackenzie led three Chaps in double figures with 23 points on 7-for-13 shooting, adding 11 rebounds. Harrison contributed a 17-point, 10-rebound double-double, and Wegscheider added 16 points on 7-for-12 shooting.
St. Edward's falls to 21-11 with the loss. It is the third consecutive year the Hilltoppers have faced Lubbock Christian in the first round of the LSC Tournament with a 1-2 record.
