Box Score UTPB men's basketball picked up its third straight win in Heartland Conference action Thursday night, handing previously undefeated #15 St. Edward's its first loss of the season in a 78-64 defeat of the Hilltoppers on the road in Austin.

Chris Griffin scored a season-high 28 points for UTPB to lead all players and has now scored in double digits in each of his six games after joining the Falcons after the first semester. Codye Hatcher added 19 points and added a team-best nine rebounds to go with five blocks.

UTPB (9-4, 4-1 Heartland) held a lead for much of the second half and went ahead by as many as eight points as Griffin hit a free throw and a 3-pointer followed by a basket from Andre Smith to go ahead 26-18 at 5:02 of the first, but St. Edward's erased the lead with a three from Trey Lindsey just before the half to tie the game at 30-30 through 20 minutes.

The Falcons broke away after tying the game for the ninth time on the night on a pair at the line from Thomas Feeney to knot the game at 46-46 seven minutes into the second half. Griffin came through with two at the free throw line two possessions later and hit a pair of baskets to lead 52-46, and Stephan Thompson later hit a free throw to cap a nine point UTPB run with 10 minutes remaining in the game.

St. Edward's pulled within two points three different times through the rest of the second half, the final time with UTPB leading 58-56 and 5:59 left in the game, but four straight points from Griffin pushed the lead back out to 62-56. 

A 3-pointer from Madison Turner put the Falcons up by nine 67-58 with 2:51 to play and helped UTPB push the lead into double digits in wrapping up the 14-point victory.

UTPB held St. Edward's to 30 percent shooting from the field on the night (19-62) and helped a 41 percent night of its own by hitting 23-of-27 from the free throw line on the game (85 percent).