Winning their first Lone Star Conference tournament game in program history on Thursday, the St. Mary’s University Men’s Basketball team advances to the semifinals against top-seeded Dallas Baptist University.

The Rattlers got the win against Western New Mexico in a 94-80 win at the Comerica Center in Frisco, Texas, and improved to 21-8 for the season. The Rattlers are now 1-3 in LSC tournament play.

St. Mary’s University Men’s Basketball guard Lawyer Jones makes a lay-up during the Lone Star Conference tournament quarterfinals.
St. Mary’s University Men’s Basketball guard Lawyer Jones makes a lay-up during the Lone Star Conference tournament quarterfinals.

Their game against Dallas Baptist is scheduled for noon on Saturday, March 7. If the team advances to the finals, the game will be Sunday, March 8. St. Mary’s and Dallas Baptist split their two games during the regular season.

Senior Damani Claxton was fouled on a three-point attempt on the team’s first possession, sinking all three free throw attempts. StMU never trailed again, pushing their lead to as many as 16 late in the second half.
 
Claxton ended the game with 19 points, adding to the 20 scored by sophomore Lawyer Jones. Jones scored his career-high on 8-of-12 shooting, adding three rebounds, an assist, a steal and a blocked shot off the bench.
 
Junior Justin Britt also scored in double figures with 16 points, doing most of his damage in the second half with 13. He and Claxton also led the team with four assists and three steals each. Senior forward Olaverr Camacho missed a double-double by one basket and one board, scoring eight and leading the team with nine rebounds, and fellow senior Eddie McPhee led the game with three blocked shots.


St. Mary’s shot 53.6 percent (30-for-56) from the field, 57.1 percent (8-for-14) from beyond the arc and 86.7 percent (26-for-30) from the free throw line. The 57.1 percent from the three-point line is the second-highest percentage of the season. The Rattlers’ defense held the Mustangs to 31.3 percent (5-for-16) from the three-point line and without a triple in the first half.
 
Andre Harris, an LSC First-Team All-Conference pick, led the Mustangs with 20 points and 12 rebounds, while Carson Kelly scored 13, and both Cortaviaus Seales and Trenton Gordon each chipped in 12. Seales also led the game with six assists.

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