DALLAS – St. Edward's resilient late-season surge ran out of gas Saturday night in a 102-72 loss to the Midwestern State University Mustangs in the NCAA Division II South Central Regional Quarterfinals.
JAMISON KAY led St. Edward's with 22 points and eight rebounds, shooting 10-for-16 from the field with two assists.
GAVINO RAMOS added 14 points and six assists, and
LEWIS ROWE finished with 12 points on eight shots with eight rebounds and three assists.
St. Edward's struggled from the field in the first half, missing a few shots from short range and even more from distance. It missed its first six 3-point attempts and shot 1-for-11 beyond the arc through the first 10 minutes of play.
The Hilltoppers shot 11-for-35 (31.4 percent) from the field, creating a cascading effect in other areas. Missed shots meant St. Edward's couldn't set its defense, which meant it couldn't create turnovers, forcing only two in the half. And while the Hilltoppers struggled to convert from the field, Will Shepherd and Mason Gibson caught fire, each hitting 4-for-5 from beyond the 3-point line to combine for 26 points in the first half.
Midwestern State hit a staggering 14 3-pointers in the first half, shooting 18-for-32 overall to take a 55-29 lead into the break. Kay scored 12 points on 10 shots.
St. Edward's steadied itself offensively in the second half, tapping into the same resolve it used to win nine of its final 11 regular-season games and first LSC Tournament game to climb from out of any postseason into the NCAA Tournament.
Kay continued to be a steady presence, scoring 10 points on 5-for-6 shooting, Ramos hit three 3-pointers and recorded three steals, and
SAM MCKINNEY showed his potential with seven points off the bench. St. Edward's shot 17-for-34 in the second half, allowing the Hilltoppers to set the defense, forcing 10 turnovers with six steals.
Midwestern State was too proficient from long range. In the second half, it was 9-for-18 from deep. Matija Svetozarevic and Jordan Reed, off the bench, made a combined five 3-pointers on six attempts.
St. Edward's finishes its season with a 21-13 record. The Hilltoppers had three all-conference players this season and qualified for the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2020.
