Men's Hoops Falls Short Against No. 19 St. Thomas

SHERMAN, Texas - The Austin College men's basketball team took the No. 19-ranked University of St. Thomas down to the wire on Saturday night in Hughey Gym, but the 'Roos came up short, falling to the Celts 75-71. The 'Roos are now 6-13 overall and 1-9 in Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference play.

It was a back-and-forth game early, with Austin College leading for much of the first half before the Celts took a 20-19 lead with 7:29 on the clock, and St. Thomas would score again to make it 22-19 half a minute later. Jamien June drilled a three to square things up at the 7:10 mark, but the 'Roos went cold, going scoreless for almost the entire rest of the half while the Celts scored 17 unanswered before June broke the drought with a basket just before the end of the half to make it 39-24 heading into the locker room.

St. Thomas extended their lead to 41-24 a minute into the second half, but June scored five in a row to give Austin College some momentum, and Jackson Rennie caught fire from long distance to help Austin College begin to close the gap. Rennie poured in 22 second half points, including going 5-of-8 from deep, to help the 'Roos make a push and eventually take a 52-51 lead on a basket by Jordan Hudgins with nine minutes remaining. After the Celts went back on top 59-54, Rennie scored nine straight for Austin College to put the 'Roos ahead 63-61 with 4:16 left.

The Celts once again regained the lead in the closing minutes before Price Bradley scored to even things up at 67 apiece with 1:45 left on the clock. However, Marion Williams put St. Thomas back on top with a three-point play with 1:13 on the clock, making it a 70-67 game, and the Celts did not relinquish the lead again. Rennie finished with 28 points, drilling 7-of-11 threes and all five of his free throw attempts, and June added 18 points, four assists, three rebounds, three steals, and two blocks. Bradley chipped in 15 points on 5-of-8 shooting and dished out six assists. Angel Johnson paced St. Thomas with 19 points, going 11-of-11 from the free throw line, and had five steals, four assists, and four rebounds.