Winning Streak Reaches Three for Men's Basketball

SAN ANTONIO — The St. Mary's University Men's Basketball team stretched its winning streak to three straight games with a 98-71 victory over Sul Ross State on Saturday evening.
 
The Rattlers (5-2, 3-1) saw four players score in double figures and 10 score over five in the team's second consecutive lopsided win. Junior guard Damani Claxton (Bronx, N.Y.) led the game with 19 points, five assists and six steals, while junior forward Franklin Agu (London, England) came off the bench to post a double-double with 13 points and 11 rebounds – including eight on the offensive end of the floor. 
 
Claxton's six steals tie for the fourth-most in St. Mary's history, tying three others with a half-dozen swipes. It is the second-highest total for a Rattler in a Lone Star Conference game, trailing only Diego Gonzalez' total of seven from last year against Arkansas-Fort Smith.
 
Senior forward Lachlan Bofinger (Sydney, Australia) narrowly missed a double-double of his own with 14 points and eight rebounds, and junior Wayne Wiggins (Mansfield, Texas) chipped in 10 points.
 
The Rattlers defense forced the Lobos (1-6, 0-3) into 22 turnovers, holding them to a 39.2 shooting percentage for the game (20-for-51).
 
StMU scored 50 of its 98 points in the paint, adding another 27 at the free throw line as the two teams combined for 50 fouls. The 50 points in the second half is the most in a period this season, topping the 48 the team scored in the first meeting against the Lobos.
 
The Gold and Blue also shot 46.4 from the field throughout the game and hit 67.5 percent of its free throws, helping raise the season percentage to 60, as the team still struggles from the charity stripe.
 
St. Mary's takes next week off from competition, returning to the court on Monday, Dec. 16 at 2 p.m. in a non-conference game against Midwestern State. The Mustangs won 62-52 at UT Tyler on Friday night to improve to 6-2 on the year.