AUSTIN, Texas — MASON COURTNEY lined up a game-tying 3-point attempt in the closing seconds, and for the first time this season, St. Edward's fell short in an 87-84 loss to the Western New Mexico University Mustangs. 
 
BLAKE NIELSEN scored a game-high 28 points with seven rebounds and four assists, and Jamsion Kay added 17 points and six rebounds. However, St. Edward's faltered when its two seniors hit the bench for rest, and Western New Mexico rode a parade to the free-throw line in the second half to erase a 16-point deficit in the comeback win.
 
St. Edward's started the game on fired, scoring the first eight points with 3-pointers from CONOR MCMANUS and JAMISON KAY, a driving layup from Nielsen, and two assists from RYDER BRADLEY. 
 
Nielsen was unstoppable in the first half, scoring 15 points on eight shots with five rebounds and three assists. The senior point forward showcased his ability to simultaneously absorb contact on drives or in the post, determine how his opponent has distributed his weight, and spinning or fading away from it for floaters, hooks, or layups. 
 
Carson Kelly, a 5-foot-10 waterbug point guard, proved equally up to the task of carrying his team's offense, scoring 10 points on 4-for-7 shooting, including 2-for-3 from deep, and forward Isaiah Broady added nine on 4-for-5 shooting. 
 
St. Edward's opened the second half like it started the game, reeling off a 13-2 run in the first two minutes. The Hilltoppers hit their first six shots after the break, getting seven points from Kay, a pair of layups from Bradley, and a floater by Nelson to take a 55-46 lead. 
 
Nielsen resumed torching the Mustangs over the next five minutes, scoring seven points as the Hilltoppers opened up a 16-point lead with a 17-5 run, hitting 8-of-10 over a five-minute stretch. 
 
Western New Mexico found its footing over the final 10 minutes from the free-throw line, starting with a pair earned in transition after a steal from Tanner Poeschl. 
 
The Mustangs closed the game on a 29-12 run, sparked by 8-for-10 shooting from the charity stripe over the final 10 minutes, and pairing it with incredible shotmaking from Cortaviaus Seales, including a difficult stepback jumper to put Western New Mexico up 87-81 with 33 seconds remaining. 
 
Western New Mexico shot 10-for-15 down the stretch while St. Edward's went cold at 4-for-16, missing many of the floaters and flip shots that dropped earlier. 
 
St. Edward's showed its resiliency with a late 3-pointer from Kay to pull within a single possession, then two missed free throws afforded the Hiltoppers an opportunity with 10 seconds remaining. Courtney got a look from the top of the key against a closeout, but left it short to end the game. 
 
Kay finished with 17 points and six rebounds, shooting 7-for-12. Bradley added 13 points, four rebounds, and four assists. Seales led five Mustangs in double figures with 16 points on 10 shots. After earning only six free-throw attempts in the first half, the Mustangs shot 14-for-21 after the break. 
 
St. Edward's drops to 10-1, splitting its first two conference games. Western New Mexico improves to 6-2. St. Edward's will travel next week to play UT Tyler.