San Antonio – Missouri Western State University ran out to an early double-digit lead and overcame a spirited St. Mary’s University rally to defeat the Rattlers 75-66 in men’s basketball action Tuesday night at the River City Classic, played at Bill Greehey Arena.

After trailing by 10 at the break the Rattlers came out of the locker room red-hot. They scored the first seven points of the second half to cut the deficit to just three at 40-37, forcing a timeout less than three minutes into the second half. The Rattlers were able to cut the deficit to as little as one points on two occasions, but were not able to complete the rally. A late 7-0 run by the Griffons iced the win for MWSU.

The first half was a story of Rattler turnovers and the hot shooting of Joe Manthe. Manthe hit on 7-of-9 shots from the field, including 4-of-5 from three point range to lead the Griffons to a 40-30 lead at the break. The Rattlers actually outshot the Griffons 52.6 percent against 50.0 percent, but 12 turnovers for St. Mary’s against just seven for MWSU.

Marcus Hill (Jr., Longview) reached double figures in scoring for the third straight game with 15 points. He was one of three players to score in double figures for the Rattlers. Jarvis Lee (Sr., Houston) had 14 points, while Latez Williams (Jr., Hamilton, Ohio) scored 11.

St. Mary’s fell to 4-5 overall with the loss while Missouri Western State improved to 7-2. The Rattlers will return to action on Wednesday when they host Fort Hays State at 7:30 p.m. in the final game of the River City Classic. Other tournament games will take place at 12, 2:30 and 5 p.m.

River City Classic – Day 1, Bill Greehey Arena, San Antonio, Texas
Midwestern State 74, Pittsburg State 71
(#12) Northwest Missouri State 59, (#17) Metro State 53
(#15) Southeastern Oklahoma State 84, Fort Hays State 68
Missouri Western State 75, St. Mary’s 66

Day 2 Schedule
(#12) Northwest Missouri State vs. Midwestern State, noon
Pittsburg State vs. (#15) Southeastern Oklahoma State, 2:30 p.m.
Missouri Western State vs. (#17) Metro State, 5 p.m.
Fort Hays State at St. Mary’s, 7:30 p.m.

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