KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The University of St. Thomas men's basketball team lost to Carroll (Mont.) in the opening round of the NAIA Division I national tournament Thursday, 71-65, at Municipal Auditorium.
The 22nd-ranked Celts were making their third trip to the national tournament in their final year as an NAIA member. St. Thomas finished the season 23-11. No. 11 Carroll (26-7) advances to Friday's second round.
It was a game that featured 15 lead changes and six ties.
Sixth-seeded UST held a 34-32 lead after the first half – one that neither team led by more than four. UST matched its largest lead of the half when Paris Marquez scored in the paint with 14:20 to go. Jovan Sljivancanin's three-pointer at the 11:05 mark put the third-seeded Fighting Saints up four. Marquez scored with 5:17 left in the half to put the Celts ahead, 24-22. Dane Warp scored at the 3:12 mark to give Carroll a 28-24 lead, but UST's Sam Flores hit a three, and Paul Taulton sank a pair of free throws to push the Celts ahead by one. Taulton scored on a second chance opportunity 30 seconds before halftime to give St. Thomas a 34-30 lead, but Match Burnham's bucket with a second remaining cut it to two entering the break.
Taulton scored 11 of his 14 points in the first half as the Celts shot 13 of 29. The Fighting Saints were 13 of 28.
Kennard Robinson scored 3:51 into the second half to give St. Thomas its largest lead of the game, 41-36. The Fighting Saints went on a 6-0 run to take the lead before Nathan Thormaehlen scored on a fastbreak to give the lead back to UST. Ife Kalejaiye hit a 3-pointer to put Carroll back in front before Taulton tied the game at 46 with 10:11 remaining.
The Fighting Saints built their lead to seven on a pair of free throws by Burnham with 3:50 to go, but Eleyae scored twice, and Marquez hit another field goal to cap a 6-0 UST run that pulled the Celts within 64-63. After Matt Wyman scored on Carroll's next possession, Eleyae answered again on St. Thomas' next trip down the floor to keep it a one-point game. But the Celts could not convert down the stretch, and the Fighting Saints held on.
Eleyae finished with 14 points, four rebounds and a steal in his final game as a Celt. Marquez scored 13 points, had four rebounds and three assists, and Flores scored nine points in their final collegiate games. Robinson had nine points, six rebounds, six assists and a steal.
Burnham had 19 points, six boards and four steals, and Wyman had 18 points, seven rebounds and seven assists.
The Celts shot 44 percent from the field. The Fighting Saints shot 52.8 percent.
