UT Permian Basin Men's Basketball's defense stifled No. 11 St. Edward's, holding the tenth best offense in the nation to well below their scoring average in a 75-65 upset victory. The win snapped the Hilltoppers 32-game home winning streak dating back to 2018. Coming into tonight the Hilltoppers averaged 87.7 points per game and were held to just .329 shooting percentage.
The game started with both sides trading baskets early. A
Jay Workman three put the Falcons (7-6, 6-6) up five early. A 7-0 Hilltopper (8-2, 6-2) run pushed them back to the front.
Trevion Lamar buried a three putting the Falcons back in the lead before trading points once again. The Hilltoppers looked like they'd pull away, building an 11-point lead, but the Falcons never blinked.
Quinntez Grimes started the comeback with a three and
Wesley Hayes followed with a layup. Lamar scored four points in the final minute of the half to pull the Falcons back into the game, trailing 29-25 at the half.
The Hilltoppers started strong in the second half, but the hot hand of Hayes kept the Falcons in the game, scoring eight straight Falcon points.
Brandon Burrell's three tied the game and four points from Lamar pushed the Falcons to a four-point lead. A five-point run by Workman pushed the lead to seven, punctuated by a three-point play. The Hilltoppers wouldn't let their home winning streak end quietly, but the Falcons sustained each blow and never let the Hilltoppers get the chance to tie the game. A 6-0 run on the strength of baskets by
Malik Brikat and free throws from
Jordan Horn put the Falcons ahead for good as the Falcons hit their free throws down the stretch.
Lamar led all scorers with 18 points along with nine rebounds. Workman had 14 points with five rebounds and Hayes had 11 points in a starting role. Off the bench, Brikat had 12 points with six rebounds, while Horn had seven points and nine rebounds.
The Falcons are back home next week to take on another top-15 team as they'll welcome DBU for a weekend series starting Friday.
