Box Score
SAN ANTONIO —
Daryell Taylor's jump shot was falling Saturday night, but this St. Mary's win was about more than just makes and misses.
It was about a group of men fighting for a single goal, a single purpose — a sense of direction gained during a morning meeting that Taylor said got everyone “on the same page.”
“Coach broke it down about what we're playing for,” Taylor said. “This is bigger than each individual in this locker room. We're playing for all the banners in this arena.”
The Rattlers came out looking like a team with banners in mind, clinching a berth in the Heartland Conference Tournament in the process after gutting out a 73-67 win over Oklahoma Christian.
Fittingly, it was a trio of seniors stealing the show on Senior Day at Bill Greehey Arena.
Taylor (Sr., Houston),
Moses Sundufu (Sr., Hopkins, Minn.) and
Kevin Kotzur (Sr., La Vernia, Texas) combined to score 52 points — all but 21 of the team's total points on the day.
Sundufu led the way with 20 points and six rebounds, Taylor added 18 and six, while Kotzur chipped in 14 and seven as he became the school's all-time leading rebounder of record with 967 career boards.
“It was a very emotional game,” said Taylor, who shot 6 of 15 from the floor. “We really needed it to keep this momentum pushing into the postseason.”
While St. Mary's (18-7) win over Oklahoma Christian (15-10) did not count in the Heartland Conference standings, the Rattlers clinched a tournament bid by virtue of Texas A&M International's victory over Dallas Baptist on Saturday.
Their season-ending meeting against A&M International next week will determine their seeding, though Arkansas-Fort Smith has already wrapped up the top seed and the right to host the tournament in Fort Smith, Ark., in March.
But with the way St. Mary's fought, the Oklahoma Christian game might as well have determined their fate.
Inspired by their senior's contributions, St. Mary's charged to a 12-point lead in the second half after leading by two, 30-28, at the break.
Seniors
Brad Hubenak (Kennedale, Texas) and
John Roberts (San Antonio) — who along with
Roberto Soto (Mexico City) represented the remaining half of the Rattler seniors honored Saturday — provided added intensity throughout the game. Hubenak, who got the start, added muscle inside, while Roberts came off the bench to drain a quick jump shot and fight for three loose rebounds. The two combined for eight boards.
Meanwhile, Sundufu and Kotzur could barely miss, with Sundufu going 8 for 12, including 3 of 5 from 3-point range, and Kotzur barreling his way down low to make 7 of 10 attempts.
Though St. Mary's jumped to a 12-point lead five minutes into the second half, Oklahoma Christian came back to tie it with 4:21 remaining. But a Sundufu 3-pointer two possessions later gave the Rattlers the lead for good with a 60-57 advantage.
“Everybody on the team, we came off a loss and we were trying to pick it back up mentally and physically,” Taylor said, referencing Thursday's loss to Dallas Baptist. “It was a tremendous win.”
St. Mary's University, as a Catholic Marianist University, fosters the formation of people in faith and educates leaders for the common good through community service, integrated liberal arts and professional education, and academic excellence. The University has six athletic national titles: men's basketball (1989–NAIA), baseball (2001–NCAA Div. II), softball (1986–NAIA and 2002–NCAA Div. II) and an individual national champion in men's golf (2006–NCAA Div. II) and a national academic championship in men's golf (2009–NCAA Div. II). St. Mary's also had more than 40 percent of its athletes named to conference, regional and/or national honor rolls this past year. St. Mary's student–athletes graduation rate is 65 percent, higher than the NCAA Division II average of 55 percent. To learn more about St. Mary's, visit www.rattlerathletics.com.
