KINGSVILLE, Texas – St. Edward's men's basketball and Texas A&M-Kingsville were on the way to another down-to-the-wire finale until
JAMISON KAY stepped in and stepped in front of a Javelinas pass, taking the steal for a dunk and 69-66 win.
CONOR MCMANUS caught fire with 20 points on 7-for-10 shooting, hitting six 3-pointers, and
LEWIS ROWE and Kay combined for 30 points to lead St. Edward's to victory.
Both teams played to a standstill through the first 10 minutes, shooting an efficient percentage but combining for 10 turnovers. McManus got loose for two early 3-pointers, and Texas A&M-Kingsville countered with three 3-pointers, including one from Bryson Goldsmith, to take a 19-18 lead with 10:09 remaining in the first half.
St. Edward's found its foothold on defense, limiting the Javelinas to 3-for-9 shooting over the final 10 minutes of the half and forcing four turnovers. McManus hit another pair of 3-pointers, and the Hilltoppers closed the half out on a 15-11 run to carry a 33-30 lead into the break.
McManus led all scorers with 12 points, hitting 4-for-5 from deep.
GAVINO RAMOS directed the offense with five assists and also recorded two steals.
Rowe hit the offensive glass to get going in the second half with two putbacks and a layup over the first 10 minutes for six points and found Kay for two of his six points over that stretch. Ramos and
MASON COURTNEY supplemented their frontcourt with a 3-pointer each, and St. Edward's led 51-45 with ten minutes remaining. Texas A&M-Kingsville countered with an 8-0 run, getting a pair of 3-pointers from Goldsmith and Daniel Sanchez.
McManus got going again with eight points down the stretch, keeping the Javelinas at bay with a pair of 3-pointers and a layup off a feed from Kay, and Rowe added six more points.
Goldsmith kept Texas A&M-Kingsville within arms reach, scoring 15 second-half points, and the Javelinas pulled within one at 65-64 on a jumper and free throw from Zyon Little with 1:38 remaining.
Ramos responded by finding Rowe inside, and after both teams exchanged misses, Kay jumped an outlet pass in the backcourt and took the ball for an uncontested dunk to go up 69-64 with 22 seconds remaining. Jake Arnold closed the gap to three with a jumper, but St. Edward's ran out the clock successfully.
Rowe finished with 18 points and seven rebounds. Kay added 12 points, five rebounds, three assists, and two steals, and Ramos scored nine points with eight assists, four rebounds, and four steals.
St. Edward's improves to 13-9 with a 7-6 conference record. The Hilltoppers will travel to Laredo to play Texas A&M International on Saturday.
