HOUSTON, Texas – The Cardiac Celts.
St. Thomas men's basketball team trailed by 11 with 2:43 remaining before turning up its defensive pressure to put together a furious comeback in an 88-86 win over Our Lady of the Lake Thursday.
Cameron Gims (FR/Cypress, Texas) sank two free throws with 0.8 seconds left to complete the comeback, giving UST a season sweep over OLLU.
Orowo Eleyae (SR/Houston, Texas) came up with a steal and bucket, and then after another Saints turnover, he scored again to pull St. Thomas within seven. Gims forced a turnover, and Paris Marquez (SR/Atascocita, Texas) hit a triple before Christian Alaekwe (SO/Fresno, Texas) had a steal and basket at the 1:44 mark to pull the Celts within two. Kennard Robinson (JR/Houston, Texas) had a steal and then sank two free throws three seconds later to tie the game at 84. Eleyae sank two free throws before Michael Saladin did the same for OLLU to tie it at 86. But after each team missed a field goal, Gims grabbed a defensive board and was fouled in the closing second.
It was a game that featured nine ties and 18 lead changes.
St. Thomas, which is receiving votes in the NAIA Top 25 poll, improved to 16-7, 7-4 in the Red River Athletic Conference. Our Lady of the Lake fell to 6-14, 4-8.
Eleyae finished with 27 points on 11 of 17 shooting. Robinson had 15 points, six assists, six boards, two steals and a block. Marquez added 12 points and four assists. Gims had eight points, three steals and two blocks.
Brandon Joseph and Lennox Jones, Jr. each scored 18 for the Saints, who shot 58 percent in the second half.
Joseph sank two free throws with 14:29 to play to give the Saints a 51-50 lead, but Robinson raced end-to-end for a bucket that put the Celts up one a minute later. Sam Flores (SR/El Paso, Texas) hit a triple, but OLLU answered when Joseph came away with a steal and went coast-to-coast for a lay-in that put the Saints ahead 61-60.
Carlson Goode hit a 3-pointer, and Jones Jr. scored down low to give OLLU a 74-68 lead with just under 6:00 remaining. Darin Minniefield buried a three from the corner with 5:02 to play to give the Saints an eight-point lead, and Saladin scored in transition to push it to 80-70.
UST, which shot 46 percent, never led by more than five.
Paul Taulton (JR/Pearland, Texas) hit a turnaround jump hook in the paint at the 12:39 mark of the first half to give UST a 16-11 lead before OLLU gained control on Joseph's triple. Eleyae scored after grabbing an offensive rebound, and Marquez squeezed between two defenders for a bucket that gave the Celts within two.
Our Lady of the Lake went 7 of 14 from downtown in the first half. St. Thomas was 5 of 14. Both teams had 20 rebounds in the first half – each grabbing seven on the offensive glass.
The Celts will host University of the Southwest at 4 p.m. Saturday.
