LAREDO, Texas – SEAN ELKINTON reached the 25-point mark for the sixth time this season, and the St. Edward's men's basketball team survived a final shot to open the new year with a 62-61 win over the Texas A&M International Dustdevils. 
 
St. Edward's moved the ball with surgical precision in the first half, assisting on 12 of its 15 made field goals to only six turnovers. Most of the carving was done by primary ball handlers BLAKE NIELSEN and GAVINO RAMOS, who recorded five and four assists. 
 
If Nielsen and Ramos were the scalpels, Elkinton was the blunt force instrument. The sophomore big man scored 13 points in the first half, missing only one of his six shots from the field and hitting 2-for-3 from the free-throw line. 
 
Elkinton was assisted on four of his five first-half buckets, with two layups on dishes from Nielsen, another from Ramos, and a 3-pointer off a feed by BENNETT MOHN. 
 
In addition to his four assists, Ramos also contributed 10 points at the half, draining both his 3-point attempts and 4-of-7 shots overall. 
 
Defensively, St. Edward's limited Texas A&M International to 34.4 percent shooting. The Dustdevils fired away from deep early and often but connected on only three of 17 attempts and trailed 36-29 at the break. 
 
Texas A&M International dug in defensively in the second half, and St. Edward's went cold, shooting 9-for-26 from the field after the break. Only three Hilltoppers connected from the field over the final 20 minutes. JAMISON KAY drained his only shot attempt, and Nielsen shot 2-for-7. 
 
That was enough to give the Dustdevils a foothold. Matthew Okoye scored 11 points with two assists, and Esteban Roacho added eight as Texas A&M International battled back from as many as 14 points to take a brief 59-58 lead on a Roacho layup with 1:39 remaining. 
 
Elkinton immediately responded with a layup off a feed from Nielsen and was steady as a metronome with 15 points in the second half, draining 3-for-4 from deep. 
 
Both teams exchanged a pair of free throws, and Texas A&M International's Jeremiah Washington's 3-pointer with four seconds remaining rimmed out to preserve the Hilltoppers' win. 
 
Elkinton finished with 28 points and eight rebounds. Ramos added 12 points, six assists, and two steals, and Nielsen scored six points with seven rebounds, six assists, two blocks, and two steals. Okoye led Texas A&M International with 24 points and four assists. 
 
St. Edward's improves to 10-4 with a 3-2 conference record. The Hilltoppers will remain on the road and play Texas A&M-Kingsville on Saturday.