TYLER, Texas — The No. 14-ranked St. Edward's men's basketball team rode into UT Tyler's Holiday Hoopla like the Grinch who stole Christmas, pilfering nine steals and forcing 16 turnovers while limiting the Patriots to 43.4 percent shooting in a 70-55 win.

JAMISON KAY, BLAKE NIELSEN, and RYDER BRADLEY combined for 46 points, and the Hilltoppers outscored the Patriots 18-6 in points off turnovers to overcome a cold-shooting first half.

Most of the offense flowed through Nielsen in the opening half, as he hit more field goals (six on 12 attempts) than the rest of the team combined (five). St. Edward's offset its shooting struggles by getting to the free-throw line, going 9-for-12 before halftime.

UT Tyler opened the game shooting 10-for-21 from the field, including 4-for-9 from deep. Kyle Morgan led the charge with eight points and six rebounds, knocking down a pair of 3-pointers. However, the Patriots committed 11 first-half turnovers, which led to 11 Hilltopper points, and trailed 34-24 at the break.

Nielsen led all scorers with 13 points at halftime, Bradley added nine, and SAM MCKINNEY sparked St. Edward's with six points and three rebounds off the bench.

The Patriots twice trimmed the deficit to eight points in the opening five minutes of the second half, but St. Edward's defense held firm as the offense found its rhythm behind Kay's 3-point shooting. Kay went 3-for-4 from deep after the break.

ROBERT CONRAD and McKinney checked in near the 13-minute mark of the second half and immediately ignited a run. Conrad grabbed a defensive rebound that led to a McKinney 3-pointer off a Bradley assist. Bradley then found Nielsen for a layup before McKinney hit a floater to extend the lead to 17.

UT Tyler tried to chip away, but Conrad and Kay answered with back-to-back 3-pointers to push the advantage to 19, and the Hilltoppers kept the Patriots at bay the rest of the way.

Kay led St. Edward's with 16 points, scoring 13 after halftime, and added three assists. Nielsen and Bradley scored 15 points apiece, with Bradley adding seven rebounds, six assists, and two steals. McKinney finished with 11 points on 4-for-6 shooting, five rebounds, and three steals in 23 minutes off the bench.

St. Edward's improves to 11-1, including 2-1 in conference play. The Hilltoppers will travel to San Antonio next week to compete in the River City Classic against Fort Lewis College and the University of Central Oklahoma.