AUSTIN, Texas – St. Edward's men's basketball avenged its Tuesday loss to St. Mary's by closing out the regular season in style, scorching the nets on its way to a 94-68 victory over the Rattlers on senior day. 
 
On Tuesday, the Hilltoppers appeared caught off guard against St. Mary's zone, digging themselves into a hole they couldn't climb all the way out of. With enough time between games to adjust but not enough time to forget, St. Edward's was prepared. 
 
JAYDEN JOHNSTON drained a 3-pointer on the game's opening possession off a feed from GAVINO RAMOS, and it was off to the races for St. Edward's. The Hilltoppers played with pace and purpose, making quick passes ahead of the defense to get open 3-pointers for BENNETT MOHN and Johnston to jump out to a 22-9 run. 
 
St. Edward's hit eight of its first 11 shots, including 6-for-7 from deep with three 3-pointers from Mohn, two from Johnson, one from Ramos, and a pair of layups from Elkinton. 
 
Everything the Hilltoppers did fed off a symphony of movement directed by BLAKE NIELSEN and Ramos, who had eight and five assists with zero turnovers between them. The duo loosened the St. Mary's defense up, finding Johnston and Mohn on the outside for four 3-pointers each on a combined 11 attempts, which opened things for SEAN ELKINTON inside for 10 points on six shots. 
 
Forward Frankling Agnu and reserve guard Micah Jones steadied St. Mary's with a combined 21 points at the break, but St. Edward's assisted on all but two of its made field goals in the first half and shot a blistering 11-for-19 form beyond the 3-point line to take a 49-35 lead at the half. 
 
St. Edward's forced St. Mary's out of its zone in the first half, and found its matchups in the second. Elkinton worked his way inside for eight points after the break, GAVINO RAMOS pulled at the man-to-man defense with drives to the basket, and Nielsen hit cutters to keep the defense collapsing and expanding in endless rotations. 
 
The Hilltoppers also got contributions off the bench, getting quality minutes from CONOR MCMANUS, who had two steals and an assist in the second half and finished the game with eight points with two 3-pointers and a layup on a cut. 
 
Johnston buried St. Mary's with three more 3-pointers after the break, hitting a step-back 3-pointer and a pull-up in the process to finish with a game-high 21 points with a videogame-like 7-for-10 shooting performance from beyond the 3-point line. 
 
Elkinton finished with 18 points and seven rebounds, Mohn scored 18 points on five 3-pointers, and the Hilltoppers' trademarked backdoor cut from Nielsen to Mohn. Ramos finished one assist shy of a double-double with 10 points and nine assists, and Nielsen had 11 assists with no turnovers. 
 
ALEU ALEU had quality minutes off the bench and celebrated his own senior day with an authoritative dunk and a step-back 3-pointer off a feed from ZEKE BULLINGTON as time expired. 
 
St. Edward's assisted on 30 of its 35 made field goals, tying for seventh on the program's all-time single-game record, shooting 18-for-34 from deep. The Hilltoppers close the season with a 21-10 record, including 14-8 in conference play, and will play in the upcoming Lone Star Conference Tournament.