ALPINE, Texas — JAMISON KAY set the tone, BLAKE NIELSEN set the table, and together the two seniors led St. Edward's to an 88-72 win over the Lobos on Saturday to put the No. 14-ranked Hilltoppers back in the win column. 

Kay and Nielsen didn't just lead St. Edward's Saturday — they anchored it, each recording a double-double in signature games. Kay finished with 25 points and 10 rebounds, controlling the paint on defense and spacing the floor on offense, hitting 3-for-4 from deep. 

Nielsen orchestrated everything around him, posting 10 points and 13 assists, threading pass after pass to build an insurmountable lead. 

St. Edward's seized control early and never surrendered it. CONOR MCMANUS drilled a 3-pointer on the game's opening possession, and the Hilltoppers quickly built separation behind ball movement and shotmaking. Midway through the first half, the lead stretched to 20 with McManus hitting 4-for-8 from deep and Kay showcasing his versatility, matching McManus's 12 points and adding six rebounds and four assists for the 43-32 lead at the break. 

In the space created by their gravity, Nielsen racked up eight first-half assists without a turnover as the Hilltoppers assisted on 14 of 16 field goals and hit nine 3-pointers in the half. 

When Sul Ross State pushed after the break, St. Edward's responded calmly, consistently, and completely. 

The Lobos trimmed the margin to six early in the second half, but every push met a response. Nielsen found Kay inside, Kay found the free-throw line, and MASON COURTNEY found his rhythm, hitting his first of four 3-pointers in the second half to extend the lead back to double digits for good. 

Sul Ross guard Chianti Clay did his best to shoot the Lobos back into it, burying six 3-pointers on 13 attempts, and scoring 22 second-half points. But the Hilltoppers remained poised in their balanced attack, getting a combined 13 points and five assists from point guards RYDER BRADLEY and ROBERT CONRAD in the second half. 

St. Edward's shot 54.7 percent from the field and an even better 57.7 percent from deep, turning efficiency into separation. Defensively, the Hilltoppers limited Sul Ross State to 33.8 percent shooting, forcing the Lobos into tough looks and long possessions. 
 
All five starters scored in double figures, and Conrad added 11 off the bench. But it all circled back to the seniors, with Kay and Nielsen providing the production, poise, and pulse behind everything St. Edward's wants to be.