SAN ANTONIO, TX- The University of St. Thomas continued onto day two of the Leslie Robinson Classic in San Antonio, Texas, closing out the weekend against Marietta College. The Celts concluded the trip with another strong performance, earning a 73–65 victory to improve their overall record to 9–1.

St. Thomas set the tempo immediately, striking first with a layup from Angel Johnson in the paint. The Celts carried that early momentum, building an 11–4 advantage midway through the half behind contributions from Johnson, Reyce Allen, and Nathan Kongolo. Marietta worked its way back into the game, but UST responded as Garrett Rodgers knocked down a jumper off an assist from Danny Canul to regain control. With five minutes remaining, Kongolo added to the score to make it 22–15, forcing the Pioneers to call a timeout. The Celts continued to execute on both ends coming out of the break, with Allen and Corey Thompson providing key scoring down the stretch. Thompson ended the half with a three-pointer, assisted by Johnson, sending St. Thomas into halftime with a commanding 34–20 lead.

Marietta opened the second half with possession, but a turnover by Allen quickly turned into points as Thompson converted a jumper for the Celts. The teams traded baskets early in the half, with the Pioneers making attempts to add to a score of 44–32 midway through the period. Thompson continued to anchor the offense, while Allen finished inside and Kongolo knocked down a three, from an assist by Johnson to keep UST firmly in control. As the game entered the final 10 minutes, Thompson added another strong finish in the paint, extending the lead to 57–46. After a brief Marietta response at the line, Charles Gitonga delivered on the glass with an offensive rebound and tip-in to maintain a nine-point advantage. Down the stretch, UST capitalized on fouls made by MC at the free-throw line, as Kongolo, Allen, and Johnson converted key opportunities to push the score to 65–59 with one minute remaining. The Celts closed the game with ease, securing late free throws from Allen and Kongolo to seal the 73–65 victory.

Corey Thompson led all scorers with 21 points while shooting over 60 percent from the field. Reyce Allen followed with 16 points and a strong defensive effort, pulling down eight rebounds. Following closely behind, Nathan Kongolo added 15 points, three steals, and went a perfect 5-for-5 from the free-throw line to round out a balanced Celts performance.

With the win, St. Thomas extended its winning streak to six games and wrap up not only the weekend well, but also their journey against other non-conference opponents. The Celts look to take all of the hard work put in throughout their pre-season to make a statement and carry that momentum into the upcoming conference play.

Up Next:
As The Celts return home for the new year and shift their focus to compete against their first conference opponent, they look to face Colorado College. The match is set to take place on Saturday, January 3rd @12 PM. For more details and updates check out ustcelts.com, and stay connected by following @ustmbasketball on Instagram.