SAN ANTONIO — The St. Mary's University Men's Basketball team, which entered the NABC national rankings at No. 13 on Tuesday, defeated Sul Ross State 85-44 on Wednesday afternoon at Bill Greehey Arena.
True freshman
Michael Grant (Frisco, Texas) scored 13 of his career-high 15 points in the first half, narrowly missing the first double-double of his career with eight rebounds. He also had four assists, two steals and a blocked shot in 25 minutes of action.
Junior
Justin Britt (Goose Creek, S.C.) also scored in double digits for the first time in the Gold & Blue, scoring 12 on 5-for-7 shooting from the field, and senior
Damani Claxton (Bronx, N.Y.) added 10.
Britt has increased his scoring in each of the last four games for the Rattlers (5-0) as he gets more comfortable in the offense, scoring four against Colorado School of Mines, six against Southeastern Oklahoma State, eight in the win over MSU Denver and 12 against the Lobos (2-3).
Senior
Eddie McPhee (Denver, Colo.) tied his career-high in both rebounds and assists, leading the game in both categories with nine and six, respectively. He also did not turn the ball over and added a pair of steals.
Sebastian Mendoza (Riverside, Calif.) knotted McPhee with nine rebounds, chipped in five assists and a block, and helped contain Antwonne Holmes, who entered the game averaging 14 points and left the arena with two points and four turnovers.
Stifling defense was again the name of the game, as the Rattlers held the Lobos without a field goal over the final 8:32 of the first half, surrendering only five points at the free throw line for the 50-20 lead at the break. The Rattlers used a 12-0 run early in the half after the game was tied at 2-2, and they went on a 10-0 run over a four-plus-minute stretch to the under four-minute media timeout to build a 36-15 advantage, scoring 14 over the final 8:32 for the 50-20 halftime tally.
Sophomore
Lawyer Jones (Waco, Texas) scored all six of his points in a one-minute stretch, hitting back-to-back layups and a turnaround jumper between the 14:23 and 13:33 points of the second stanza. He and Grant each had a steal during the 67-second span to push the advantage back to 34 points, 63-29.
The Rattlers scored 50 of their 85 points in the paint, and were again solid at the free throw line, making 11-for-13. They shot a season-best 55.9 percent from the field, holding the Lobos to only 29.8 percent shooting – their second-lowest night of the year. Sul Ross State had shot over 42 percent in each of its previous three contests.
St. Mary's turns its attention to Lone Star Conference play, hosting Western New Mexico on Thursday, Dec. 4, before squaring off against the Lobos again on Saturday, Dec. 6. Both games will be at Bill Greehey Arena as part of doubleheaders with the women's team.
