BILLINGS, Mont. – St. Edward's men's basketball outscored the University of Mary 26-14 in points off turnovers and wore the Mauraders out throughout the second half in an 86-64 victory to open the season with back-to-back wins. 
 
BLAKE NIELSEN and JAMISON KAY again combined for a potent one-two frontcourt punch, combining for 34 points on 21 shots, and LATIEK BRISCOE anchored a bench unit that outscored its counterparts 37-20 with 11 points on four shots, hitting both of his 3-point attempts. 
 
Neither team gained much separation in the first half, with four ties and nine lead changes. Both teams moved the ball for nine assists before the break but had negative assist-to-turnover ratios. The Hilltoppers held a slight 14-12 edge in points off turnovers and got a big first-half performance from Nielsen, who scored 12 points on six shots, hitting 2-for-4 from deep with a pair of rebounds before the break. 
 
Cayden Redfield answered with 10 points of hits on 4-for-10 shooting off the bench for Mary, but St. Edward's showed superior depth, getting six points each from Briscoe and LEWIS ROWE off the bench, four from LUCA BAREI, and four assists and two steals from backup point guard LUKE KISER to lead 42-37 at the half. 
 
The Hilltopper press gained traction in the second half, forcing 11 Mary turnovers for a 12-2 advantage in points off turnovers, including 10-3 in fast-break points. St. Edward's broke the game open for good with a 13-0 run midway through the second half. 
 
Barei started the run with a layup off a feed from Briscoe, then Kay found Kiser for another layup. Nielsen hit 1-for-2 from the free-throw line, then found Kay for another layup. Kay put St. Edward's up double digits with a 3-pointer, Kiser added a pair of free throws, and Briscoe hit a 3-pointer to put the Hilltoppers up 72-55 with 8:22 remaining. 
 
St. Edward's defensive performance did more than cause a spike in turnovers. It also eroded Mary's shooting percentages, which dropped to 37 percent after the break. 
 
Nielsen scored 21 points on 8-for-14 shooting with three assists. Kay added 13 points and seven rebounds, hitting an efficient 5-for-7 from the field and 2-for-3 from deep. Rowe added eight points on eight shots and grabbed five rebounds, Kiser led the team with five assists, and four different Hilltoppers scored six points in a balanced attack. 
 
St. Edward's improves to 2-0 and will play Rogers State on Sunday at 6:00 p.m. to wrap up the Montana State Billings Tip-Off Classic.