AUSTIN, Texas – St. Edward's men's basketball withstood Sul Ross State's initial barrage of 3-pointers in the first half and started answering with their own in the second, running away with an 88-67 win over the Lobos. 
 
LEWIS ROWE led three Hilltoppers in double figures with 18 points on 9-for-13 shooting, and St. Edward's hit 55.7 percent from the field and 52 percent from the 3-point line. 
 
Sul Ross State opened the game with a 13-5 run, hitting five of its first six shots, including 3-for-4 from the 3-point line, getting a combined 11 points from Cam Clardy and Ethan Yancy. 
 
St. Edward's took the initial salvo on the chin and unflinchingly stood its ground. Rowe steadied St. Edward's by establishing space at the elbows and inside, and the Hilltoppers kept their composure and chipped away at the deficit methodically. 
 
JAMISON KAY hit Rowe for a high-low pass, and then Rowe and point guard GAVINO RAMOS turned to the two-man game. 
 
Rowe hit Ramos for a 3-pointer out of a dribble-handoff, MASON COURTNEY stole the ensuing inbound pass, and Ramos drove baseline and found Lowe cutting middle for a layup. Following the 13-5 start, St. Edward's reeled off a 21-10 run over the next 10 minutes to take a 26-23 lead on a SAM MCKINNEY 3-point play. 
 
McKinney was a catalyst off the bench, scoring seven points and six rebounds in the first half and providing energy and efficiency. Ramos directed the offense with four assists, and Rowe led all scorers with 14 first-half points. 
 
The Hilltoppers came at Sul Ross State in waves, outscoring the Lobos 15-7 in bench points and assisting on 10 of its 13 made field goals for a 37-28 halftime lead. 
 
St. Edward's blitzed Sul Ross State to open the second half. Ramos found Rowe for a layup, then CONOR MCMANUS hit back-to-back 3-pointers on feeds from Rowe and Ramos. Nevarez stopped the bleeding with a 3-pointer, but Courtney scored the following five points to put St. Edward's back up 19. 
 
With the offense flowing, St. Edward's was able to set its defense, tilting the court further in favor of the Hilltoppers. St. Edward's forced 11 second-half turnovers, outscoring the Lobos 19-5 in points off turnovers after the break. 
 
The Hilltoppers caught fire 15 minutes into the second half, hitting 4-of-6 3-pointers over two minutes for a 12-0 run to go up 53-36 on a McManus triple. 
 
St. Edward's shot 9-for-14 from deep in the second half, with Courtney and McManus combining to shoot 7-for-10 from beyond the 3-point line. The Hilltoppers continued to move the ball, assisting on 12 of their 21 made field goals in the half, shooting 61.8 percent from the field. 
Courtney finished with 17 points, hitting five 3-pointers and swiping two steals with two assists. McKinney scored 13 points and grabbed seven rebounds in 19 minutes off the bench, and Ramos had a brilliant floor game, scoring five points on three shots while grabbing six rebounds and dishing out eight assists. 
 
St. Edward's improves to 7-3 with a 1-2 conference record. The Hilltoppers will host Western New Mexico on Saturday.