ST. LOUIS, Mo. – UST men's basketball team closed out day two of the Lopata Classic with a hard-fought 54-53 loss to No. 5 Washington University, moving to 3-1 on the season.

The first half opened with WashU controlling early momentum, jumping out to a 16-4 lead. However, the Celts responded with energy as Corey Thompson knocked down back-to-back threes to spark a push. St. Thomas continued to chip away, eventually taking the lead on a three from Brenna Webb to go up 21-20. Another Thompson three, followed by a layup from Nicholas Buffalo, extended the advantage, and UST entered halftime on top 26-22.

St. Thomas carried that rhythm into the second half, adding to the lead with jumpers from Charles Gitonga, Nathan Kongolo, and Buffalo to go ahead 36-29. The Celts later stretched the margin to 43-31, but WashU refused to back down. An eight-minute surge from the nationally ranked Bears—including turnovers forced, missed free throws by UST, and a string of baskets—pulled the game even at 47. WashU took the lead from the free-throw line, setting up a tense final stretch.

With three minutes left, Thompson connected on a clutch three to put UST ahead 50-49 and followed it with another jumper to make it 52-49. WashU answered with late free throws and converted a layup with 20 seconds remaining to reclaim the lead. Despite a final push, the Celts came up just short, falling 54-53 in a thrilling finish.

Corey Thompson led all scorers with 23 points on an efficient 8-of-13 shooting, including 4-of-5 from beyond the arc, while adding six steals. Nicholas Buffalo contributed 5 points on 2-of-3 shooting and pulled down 5 rebounds.

Up Next
UST heads to El Paso for an exhibition matchup against UTEP on November 19 at 9 PM. Stay connected with UST basketball by following @ustmbasketball on Instagram or visiting ustcelts.com.