AUSTIN, Texas – The St. Edward's men's basketball team put together 40 minutes of intense effort with 10 minutes of flawless execution to close the game and earn a big 72-57 victory over the Angelo State Rams. 
 
LEWIS ROWE scored a game-high 16 points and eight rebounds, and JAMISON KAY added 14 points, five rebounds, and five assists, leading an efficient St. Edward's second-half offense that shot 64.3 percent after the break. 
 
St. Edward's struggled offensively in the first half. Point guard GAVINO RAMOS picked up three quick fouls, limiting the Hilltoppers' table setter to seven minutes. Kay and Rowe kept the Hilltoppers steady with a combined 13 points. 
 
Rowe worked inside for six points on 3-for-7 shooting, and Kay added seven points with five rebounds in the first half. The rest of the roster struggled. St. Edward's shot only 35.1 percent from the field and only 2-for-11 from beyond the 3-point line in the first half. Compounding issues, the Hilltoppers only got a single free-throw attempt in the first half on a layup and foul converted by TRAVON WILLIAMS. 
 
Whatever St. Edward's lacked in efficiency, it more than made up for with energy, swarming the court defensively and crashing the glass. Angelo State shot 48 percent from the field but had to earn every shot attempt, turning the ball over 12 times against a relentless Hilltopper defense. With those Angelo State turnovers and seven St. Edward's offensive rebounds, the Hilltoppers had a 37-25 advantage in shot attempts. 
 
St. Edward's also got steady play from backup point guard LUKE KISER, who took care of the ball against the Rams' intense man-to-man defensive pressure for a pair of assists and buckets, including a spectacular reverse layup, helping the Hilltoppers to a 29-28 lead at the break. 
 
The Hilltoppers never trailed in the second half, though the game remained relatively close through the first nine minutes when Angelo State's Kaden Evans tied the game at 43 on a 3-pointer with 11:37 remaining. 
 
St. Edward's responded with an 18-6 run over the next six minutes, gaining separation for a 61-49 lead with six minutes remaining. 
 
LATIEK BRISCOE sparked the run with a pair of assists, setting up Rowe for a hook shot in the paint and a layup and driving for a bucket off a Ramos feed. After being sidelined with foul trouble for most of the game, Ramos found his rhythm, leading Kay into a short jumper in the paint. The injection of off-the-dribble punch and movement brought the rest of the Hilltopper offense back to life while the defense remained steady.
 
Kay helped direct the offense down the stretch, working alongside Ramos as a point forward. He brought the ball up as a pressure release valve and facilitated from the elbow and top of the key. His versatility was invaluable. He pressurized up top at the point of attack and rotated back to protect the rim. 
 
Kay scored seven points on 3-for-5 shooting and had five assists, finding CONOR MCMANUS for two backdoor layups, hitting Rowe on a high-low pass at the rim, and freeing McManus up for a 3-pointer out of a dribble handoff. 
 
St. Edward's assisted on 14 of its 18 made field goals after the break, getting five from Kay, three from Ramos, two from Rowe and Briscoe, and an assist from MASON COURTNEY and Kiser.
 
The Hilltoppers improved to 12-9 with a 6-6 conference record, dropping Angelo State to 11-8, including 7-6 in LSC play. Next week, St. Edward's will travel to Texas A&M-Kingsville and Texas A&M International.