SAN ANTONIO — The St. Mary's University Men's Basketball team used its stifling defense and aggressive rebounding to lead the entire game in a 74-64 victory over Southeastern Oklahoma State on Thursday night to move to 3-0 on the season.
The Rattlers out-rebounded the Savage Storm (0-3) 41-to-24 on the evening and forced 15 turnovers to remain undefeated.
A trio of Rattlers scored in double figures, led by senior
Damani Claxton (Bronx, N.Y.) with 27. Sophomore
Lawyer Jones (Waco, Texas) tied his career-high in scoring with 13 and led the contest with a career-best four steals, and senior
Olaverr Camacho (Barberena, Santa Rosa, Guatemala) chipped in 11 points and led the game with nine rebounds.
SE cut the deficit to three, 34-31, with 16:56 remaining in the second half, after the Rattlers led by 11 at the break, 32-21. A quick timeout by head coach
Bubba Meyer refocused the team, and they scored seven of the next nine points to take a 41-33 lead with 14:40 left. The team led by double digits for the final 10:51 of the game.
StMU shot 82.4 percent from the free throw line, making 14 of 17 shots, while the Savage Storm were a perfect 4-for-4 at the charity stripe. Eight different Rattlers made at least one free throw, a much-improved statistic from last season.
SE had four score in double digits as Santiago Camacho Gomez and Ethan Scott each scored 12, and Saxon McWilliam and Ethan Wilkerson each posted 11. Wilkerson also led the team with six rebounds.
The Rattlers remain at home, hosting MSU Denver on Saturday at 1 p.m. in the first game of a doubleheader as the women open the home portion of their schedule with Western Colorado at 3 p.m.
