AUSTIN, Texas — SEAN ELKINTON pulled St. Edward's back into the game from beyond the arc, then helped put it away at the free-throw line. The forward scored 30 points and grabbed 14 rebounds Saturday as the Hilltoppers defeated St. Thomas 84-72 in their Homecoming exhibition at the Recreation and Athletics Center.
Elkinton shot 9-for-14 from the field, hit three 3-pointers, and went 9-for-10 at the line. ROBERT CONRAD added 13 points on 4-for-5 shooting, making all three of his attempts from deep, and CAMDEN COWGILL scored 10 off the bench.
St. Thomas found its rhythm first. The Celts scored nine unanswered points to turn an 11-11 tie into a 20-11 lead, with Garrett Rodgers knocking down a jumper off a Hilltopper turnover to give St. Thomas its largest advantage. The Celts shot 59.4 percent in the first half, with Rodgers scoring all 10 of his points before the break.
St. Edward's worked its way back from the perimeter. CONOR MCMANUS and Elkinton hit consecutive 3-pointers to cut the deficit to three, and DONOVAN SANTORO later brought the Hilltoppers within one with a triple of his own. Sugeeth Jinkal followed with three free throws to give St. Edward's a 28-26 lead.
The teams traded the lead before Cowgill broke a 33-33 tie with a three-point play. Conrad followed with his second 3-pointer, and Elkinton added a three-point play of his own in the final minutes. NOLAN BARKLEY's layup with 23 seconds left helped send St. Edward's into halftime ahead 46-41. The Hilltoppers made eight of 15 3-pointers in the opening half.
Conrad opened the second half with another triple, and Elkinton scored twice inside before stepping out for his third 3-pointer. Conrad's floater and two PARKER HANNAH free throws completed a 7-0 run, extending the lead to 60-49 with 15:11 remaining.
St. Thomas cut the margin to four at 65-61, but the Hilltoppers rebuilt their lead one trip to the line at a time. Cowgill, Conrad, and Santoro each made a pair of free throws while St. Edward's held the Celts scoreless, restoring a double-digit cushion at 71-61.
Hannah added a 3-pointer down the stretch, and McManus found Elkinton for an alley-oop with 1:26 remaining to give the Hilltoppers their largest lead at 82-69. Elkinton made two more free throws in the final minute to reach 30 points.
St. Edward's held St. Thomas to 35.3 percent shooting after halftime and won the rebounding battle 35-22. The Hilltoppers assisted on 20 of their 24 baskets, with Barkley and McManus handing out five assists apiece, and finished 25-for-26 at the free-throw line.
Corey Thompson led St. Thomas with 14 points and seven assists, while Omar Gayle added 13 points and Nathan Kongolo scored 11.
