SAN ANTONIO — A day after scoring his 1,000th career point at St. Edward's, graduate point forward BLAKE NIELSEN added another memorable moment, burying a game-winning 3-pointer to lead No. 16-ranked St. Edward's to a 66-63 victory over the University of Central Oklahoma. 


 
Nielsen and senior forward Jamison combined for 39 points on 14-for-29 shooting, leading St. Edward's in overcoming a 10-point deficit with under six minutes remaining by closing the game on a 15-2 run. 
 
Central Oklahoma jumped on St. Edward's early, taking advantage of two Hilltopper turnovers to drain three quick 3-pointers. Parker Hannah and Matthew Willenborg did the damage from deep early, combining to hit the Bronchos' first four 3-pointers, and shooting 5-for-7 from distance in the half. Hannah was in the zone with 11 first-half points, shooting 4-for-7 with three 3-pointers, and Central Oklahoma's 6-for-12 outside shooting created opportunities against St. Edward's formidable defense. 
 
The Hilltoppers found their footing with 3-pointers from CONOR MCMANUS and Kay, creating room for Nielsen to get to the rim for nine points on 4-for-6 shooting in the first half. Kay was steady with seven points and eight rebounds, and SAM MCKINNEY hit a pair of 3-pointers and a layup for eight points in 11 minutes off the bench. 
 
Central Oklahoma's 9-0 start represented the largest lead of a half that featured three lead changes and ended with back-to-back layups from the Bronchos in the closing minute to trail 35-34 at the break. 
 
Both teams shot 14-for-31 in the half, with Central Oklahoma hitting one more 3-pointer than St. Edward's, and the Hilltoppers draining two more free throws than the Bronchos. 
 
Willenborg opened the second half on a one-man mission, quickly scoring seven of his 21 second-half points on two layups and a 3-pointer in less than two minutes to give Central Oklahoma the lead, while Kay carried the Hilltoppers through a cold spell, accounting for all five of St. Edward's points through the first five minutes. 
 
Nielsen found his range, bookending a Hannah 3-pointer with two of his own, then connected on a driving layup through contact for an old-fashioned 3-point play to give the Hilltoppers a 49-47 lead with 12:56 remaining. 
 
That's when Willenborg took over. The run started with a single free throw, then snowballed to a 3-pointer, two tip-ins, and an alley-oop to cap off a 14-2 run for the 61-51 lead heading into a timeout with 5:39 remaining.
 
St. Edward's showed the resolve that proved the Hilltoppers' mettle during last year's late run to the NCAA Tournament, starting with MASON COURTNEY and McManus burying critical back-to-back 3-pointers out of the timeout to cut the deficit to four. Courtney jumped a passing lane and found Kay, who was fouled and buried both free throws to make it a single-possession game, and McManus tied it at 61 on a putback with 2:38 remaining. 
 
Willenborg's layup off a feed from Robinson briefly reclaimed the lead for Central Oklahoma. McManus blocked Robinson's layup on the Bronchos' next possession, then found Kay for a turnaround jumper coming out of a timeout to tie the game at 63 with 1:23 remaining. 
 
Both teams exchanged empty possessions, and Central Oklahoma turned the ball over with 11 seconds remaining, setting the stage for Nielsen. 
 
St. Edward's went with a simple high ball screen from Kay up top, forcing a switch from the 6-foot-7 Willenborg to the 6-foot-6 Ben Averitt. The inch of space made all the difference for Nielsen, who jabbed hard to his right to set up a stepback going left, draining the game-winner just over Averitt's outstretched fingertips. 
 
Nielsen led St. Edward's with 21 points on 8-for-13 shooting, including 3-for-5 from deep. Kay added an 18-point, 13-rebound double-double with three assists. McManus and McKinney scored eight each, with McManus adding four rebounds and four assists, and McKinney grabbing six boards. Willenborg led Central Oklahoma with 29 points and 11 rebounds, and Hannah added 14 points, hitting four 3-pointers. 
 
St. Edward's heads into Christmas break with a 13-1 record, and will resume conference play on Friday, January 2, in a clash between two nationally-ranked teams, hosting No. 7 Lubbock Christian.