SAN ANTONIO – A big second half lifted the No. 9 St. Mary's University Men's Basketball team to an 84-68 win over Sul Ross State on Saturday afternoon, as the Rattlers poured in 57 after the break to remain undefeated and move to 7-0 on the year and 2-0 in Lone Star Conference play.
After shooting only 28.1 percent from the field in the first half, the Rattlers shot almost 70 percent (69.6) in the second stanza in helping them score 57 points. StMU also was 21-for-23 at the free throw line in the second half, making a season-high 29 in the game.
Junior guard
Justin Britt (Goose Creek, S.C.) led the game with a career-high 19 points and tied for team-high honors with three assists and two steals. Britt was 8-for-9 from the field and 3-for-4 at the free throw line.
Three others added double figures in points as senior
Damani Claxton (Bronx, N.Y.) scored 12 and
Olaverr Camacho (Barberena, Santa Rosa, Guatemala) and
Freddie Cooper (Chesterfield, Mo.) each chipped in 11.
Junior
JJ Walton (Tampa, Fla.) led the team with six rebounds, leading the team for the first time this season, and he grabbed three of the team's 11 offensive boards. Camacho blocked three shots, and both Britt and Claxton had three assists to tie for the team lead.
The Rattlers narrowly edged the Lobos (2-5, 0-2) in the rebound battle, 34-to-32; however, they forced SRS into 15 turnovers while only turning it over six times themselves.
The 29 free throws made by the Rattlers are the most in a game this season and the most since the team made 32 in a double overtime win against UT Tyler on Feb. 6, 2025. In a regulation game, it is the most since the team sank 29-of-32 in an 87-77 win over Colorado School of Mines on Nov. 11, 2023.
St. Mary's will leave campus for a game for the first time in 2025-26, squaring off with DBU in Dallas on Thursday, Dec. 11 at 7 p.m. The Patriots are 6-4 overall and also started Lone Star play with a 2-0 record, winning at Texas A&M-Kingsville and Texas A&M International over the weekend.
