AUSTIN, Texas — A tough night at the free throw line ended in heartache for the St. Mary's University Men's Basketball team at St. Edward's, as they had a three-pointer waved off and instead were called for an offensive foul in falling 73-71 in the Battle of the Saints on Monday evening.
With 11 seconds remaining, senior
Sebastian Mendoza (Riverside, Calif.) hit what looked like a lead-taking three-pointer on an inbounds pass, but the officials called him for an offensive foul for kicking out his leg, which resulted in the Hilltoppers (21-4, 10-4) gaining possession. SEU freshman Ryder Bradley scored a layup with 4.6 ticks left, and the shot at the buzzer by StMU senior
Justin Britt (Goose Creek, S.C.) bounced high off the back of the rim as the Rattlers (15-7, 8-6) drop their second game by two points in three days.
Senior
Olaverr Camacho (Barberena, Santa Rosa, Guatemala) tallied his fourth double-double of the season with 15 points and a game-high 11 rebounds, and sophomore guard
Lawyer Jones (Waco, Texas) scored a career-high 17 points to lead the Rattlers in scoring for the first time this year. Senior guard
Wayne Wiggins (Mansfield, Texas) returned to double-figure scoring with 11, as he came off the bench for the first time in eight games.
The Rattlers shot only 40 percent from the free throw line, making just 6-of-15 at the charity stripe, while on the opposite end, the Hilltoppers drained 13-of-14 from the line (92.9 percent). StMU was efficient from the field, however, making 49.2 percent of its shots on the night (30-of-61).
Seniors
Eddie McPhee (Denver, Colo.) and
Damani Claxton (Bronx, N.Y.) tied for game-high honors with three assists each, while Wiggins led the team with two steals, and Claxton and freshman
Michael Grant (Dallas) each blocked a shot.
The game was extremely close throughout the 40 minutes, with neither team building more than a six-point advantage. There were also five ties and five lead changes in the rivalry game.
StMU took an early lead, as Britt drained a three-pointer at 19:35. SEU quickly responded, tying the game at 5-5 with a layup by Conor McManus. Wiggins sank consecutive jumpers, pushing the lead to 9-5 for the Gold & Blue. The teams continued to go back and forth through the remainder of the period, concluding with Camacho converting a three-point play with 20 seconds left, tying the score at 33-33.
The second half was similar to the first, with neither team able to gain much of an advantage. Camacho scored 10 of his 15 points in the second period, while Jamison Kay scored 15 after the break. The two teams also took fantastic care of the ball, combining for only seven turnovers in the second half.
The Rattlers return home to host UT Permian Basin on Thursday for Faculty Appreciation Night, while Angelo State comes to town on Saturday for Senior Day. The festivities will occur at the conclusion of the women's game.
