GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. — St. Edward's defense kept creating another opportunity. Its offense spent much of Friday night searching for a way to use it.
The Hilltoppers erased a 10-point second-half deficit, pulling even on SEAN ELKINTON's 3-pointer with 2:07 remaining, but Colorado Mesa answered with consecutive baskets from JD Bradford to hand St. Edward's a 64-60 loss at Brownson Arena.
Elkinton led the Hilltoppers with 20 points and five rebounds, and CONOR MCMANUS added 14 points, hitting four of his eight attempts from beyond the arc. PARKER HANNAH scored 10 on 3-for-4 shooting, while NOLAN BARKLEY contributed four assists.
St. Edward's committed only eight turnovers and converted 14 Colorado Mesa turnovers into 20 points. But the Hilltoppers shot 35.7 percent from the field, including 7-for-29 from deep, and surrendered 20 second-chance points as the Mavericks repeatedly extended possessions.
Those extra opportunities helped Colorado Mesa create separation in both halves.
After McManus and Elkinton traded early 3-pointers with Drew Larson, the Mavericks began building a cushion. Larson and Jaylen Pitman knocked down second-chance triples, and Cole Johnson added another 3-pointer before Ryan Weber's layup put Colorado Mesa ahead 34-27.
St. Edward's answered by holding the Mavericks scoreless over the final four minutes of the half. Elkinton scored inside, Hannah drove for a layup, and Barkley found McManus for a tying 3-pointer to send the teams into the break at 34-34.
Colorado Mesa reclaimed control immediately after halftime. Larson opened with a dunk, Aidan Triplet hit a 3-pointer following a turnover, and Larson chased down two offensive rebounds on another possession before finishing inside for a 41-34 lead.
Hannah responded with a three-point play, Elkinton finished a Barkley pass inside, and McManus hit another triple to keep St. Edward's close. But the Mavericks continued finding enough offense to stretch the margin to 55-45 with 10:47 remaining.
The Hilltoppers' defense gave them a path back, holding Colorado Mesa scoreless for more than five minutes. The offense struggled to follow, producing just five points during that stretch before Larson ended the Mavericks' drought with a putback and accompanying free throw.
Trailing 58-50 with just over five minutes left, St. Edward's made one final push.
Hannah started it with a free throw. Elkinton added two more, then Barkley stole Bradford's pass and found Hannah for a transition layup. After a defensive stop, Hannah delivered the ball to Elkinton for a 3-pointer that completed an 8-0 run and tied the game at 58.
Bradford broke the tie with a driving layup, then stole an Elkinton pass and finished again in transition to give Colorado Mesa a four-point lead with 1:15 remaining.
McManus pulled St. Edward's within 62-60 on a jumper with 28 seconds left. Weber missed the front end of a one-and-one, giving the Hilltoppers a chance to take the lead, but Elkinton's 3-pointer missed. Weber secured the rebound and made two free throws with eight seconds remaining to seal the result.
Colorado Mesa finished with a 43-31 rebounding advantage, collecting 15 offensive boards. Larson led the Mavericks with 19 points and nine rebounds, while Bradford added 10 points and five assists.
Elkinton went 6-for-6 at the free-throw line and recorded two steals and a block. Conrad and McManus each collected two steals as St. Edward's fell to 3-2.
