ALPINE, Texas – The Celts of the University of St. Thomas jumped out to an early lead and never looked back Saturday as they defeated Sul Ross State 83-72 on the first day of the ASC/SCAC Crossover.​

At the Gallego Center on the campus of Sul Ross State, the Celts scored the first seven points of the game and led 26-8 at the end of the first quarter. UST's big lead provided enough of a cushion to sustain comeback attempts by the host Lobos.

Bresha Orange (Longview, Texas/Pine Tree HS) scored 27 points on 8-of-16 shooting to lead the Celts (4-2); she was 6-of-10 from 3-point range in the game.

Sheridan Hopkins (Galveston, Texas/Ball HS) turned in her second double-double performance of the season, scoring 24 points and securing 13 rebounds. Micayla Hamilton (Richmond, Texas/Foster HS) came off the bench to score 11 points for the Celts.

The Celts seized control of the game late in the first quarter by scoring the last nine points of the period to take their largest lead of the game at 18 points. Sul Ross battled back with a 25-point second period; the Lobos cut UST's lead to 39-33 by halftime.

The hosts would get as close as four points to open the second half, but that was met by an 8-0 run from the Celts. Jazz Taylor (Duncanville, Texas/Abilene Christian) knocked down two 3-pointers during the run. The Celts kept their lead in double-digits for most of the final period.

The Celts shot 46 percent (32 of 70) from the field Saturday.

Aerial Starks (Houston, Texas/A&M Consolidated HS) scored eight points for the Celts, followed by seven points from Briana De Los Santos (Houston, Texas/LeTourneau).

Hopkins, Taylor, and Zariah McInnis (Richmond, Texas/Travis HS) handed out five assists apiece for the Celts.

Jocelyne Roque came off the Sul Ross State bench to score a team-high 16 points for the Lobos (2-4).

The Celts conclude play at the ASC/SCAC Crossover on Sunday, when they face Howard Payne (3-2). Tipoff is scheduled for 1 p.m.