AUSTIN, Texas – St. Edward's men's basketball lost to Texas Permian Basin on a 3-pointer as time expired, falling 87-86 to the Falcons.
GAVINO RAMOS led St. Edward's with 20 points and
LEWIS ROWE added 16 points, five assists, and four rebounds. However, DJ Armstrong scored 23 points, shooting 7-for-11 from deep, to lead the Falcons back from double-digits past the Hilltoppers.
St. Edward's established Rowe inside early, feeding the Australian big man in the paint for a pair of turnaround jumpers and a layup in the first five minutes. Ramos added a 3-pointer,
JAMISON KAY connected on a floater off a feed from
MASON COURTNEY, and Rowe found
CONOR MCMANUS for a 3-pointer to open a 14-6 lead.
Texas Permian Basin answered with a 12-0 run on the strength of three 3-pointers in three attempts, capped off by a four-point from Alex Matthews, who scored nine over the two minutes to give the Falcons an 18-14 lead.
The Falcons continued to find the bottom of the net, hitting seven of their next 10 shots, including three more 3-pointers, to open a 35-27 lead, their largest of the first half.
Ramos responded with a steal and 3-pointer, sparking a 15-8 run to close the half. St. Edward's senior point guard added another 3-pointer and found Rowe rolling for a dunk. Rowe also showcased his footwork inside to free himself for a hook shot, and
LATIEK BRISCOE closed the half by finding McManus for a 3-pointer and draining a jumper to pull St. Edward's within one at 43-42.
Rowe led St. Edward's with 15 points at the half. Ramos added nine points and five rebounds, and Briscoe and
SAM MCKINNEY provided scoring punch off the bench, combining for 13 points, with Briscoe contributing two assists. Matthews led all scorers with 15, and Maison Adleye and DJ Armstrong added eight points each. The trio combined to shoot 13-for-19 from the field and 4-for-7 from deep.
St. Edward's carried the momentum into the second half, scoring 10 of the first 15 points capped off by back-to-back 3-pointers. Ramos stripped Adeleye and sprinted into the open court, slowing just enough to let the play develop in front of him to allow McManus to trail on the break for an open 3-pointer. McManus secured a defensive rebound on the ensuing possession, and Rowe found Courtney for another 3-pointer and a 52-48 lead.
The Hilltoppers continued to feed Rowe inside to free up shooters outside, hitting four of their next five shots to extend the lead to 63-52.
St. Edward's lead hovered around eight points with the bench in, turning the game over to the starters with a 74-66 on a baseline pull-up jumper with 7:27 remaining.
JAMISON KAY scored five quick points on a 3-pointer and powerful baseline drive to go up 79-69.
Texas Permian Basin respond with an 18-7 run, shooting 6-for-7 from the field over that stretch and forcing four St. Edward's turnovers.
DJ Armstrong his a pair of critical contested 3-pointers, Adeleye added another 3-pointer, and Dario Domingos worked scored seven over that stretch.
Ramos scored five of St. Edward's final seven points, including a go-ahead driving layup with seven seconds remaining. However, Domingos drained a 3-pointer as time expired, making only the third 3-pointer of his five-year collegiate career.
St. Edward's drops to 11-9 with a 5-6 conference record. The Hilltoppers will host Angelo State on Saturday at 3:00 p.m.