St. Thomas men's basketball team will meet Huston-Tillotson University in Austin, Texas, at 7:30 p.m. Saturday. It is the final game in a six-game road trip for the Celts.
UST (14-7, 5-4 Red River Athletic Conference) dropped the conference opener to Huston-Tillotson (8-8, 6-3) at home on Dec. 8. That snapped a seven-game win streak for the Celts.
Nathan Thormaehlen (JR/Katy, Texas) scored 26 points and grabbed 12 rebounds in that loss to the Rams. Orowo Eleyae (SR/Houston, Texas) had 22 points, Paris Marquez (SR/Atascocita, Texas) 18 points, and Kennard Robinson (JR/Houston, Texas) 11 assists and seven points. Alex Doche and Keith Broome each scored 24 for the Rams in the win.
Since that meeting, UST has gone 7-4. Huston-Tillotson is 5-5 over that stretch.
The Celts are the NAIA's fifth-leading three-point field goal shooting team with 213 triples this season. They rank ninth in the country in 3-pointers per game (10.6). UST also ranks 10th in assists per game (18.2).
The Rams own the country's eighth highest-scoring offense (91.9), and are 12th in triples per game (10.3).
Tillotson has scored 91 or more points in all of its conference games in January. The Rams had lost three straight in that stretch before blistering Paul Quinn, 91-64, on the road last week.
St. Thomas will return home next Thursday to meet Our Lady of the Lake at 7:30 p.m.
