HOUSTON, TX- The University of St. Thomas men's basketball team hosted the University of Dallas in a home conference match and continued to showcase their hard work and momentum, earning a solid 76–62 victory. The win extends the Celts' winning streak to eight games.

St. Thomas wasted no time getting on the scoreboard as Angel Johnson opened the game with a three-pointer, assisted by Corey Thompson. The Celts controlled the early tempo, and at the 14-minute mark, a defensive rebound from Reyce Allen led to a strong finish in the paint by Johnson, pushing UST to a 12–5 advantage. The Celts continued to pressure Dallas defensively, allowing just one Crusader score before a scoring surge highlighted by Charles Gitonga and Nathan Kongolo. A defensive rebound by Kongolo and a jumper, followed by another stop from Allen that led to a dunk by Nicholas Buffalo, extended the lead to 19–8 with 10 minutes remaining. Dallas responded with a run of its own, taking advantage of several possessions to climb back and briefly take a 21–19 lead with six minutes left. However, UST answered immediately with points leading to Allen converting a tip-in off an offensive rebound to tie the game at 24–24. Johnson and Kongolo later converted key free throws to reclaim the lead, and a late jumper from Kongolo, assisted by Johnson, sent the Celts into halftime ahead 34–30.

The Crusaders applied pressure early in the second half, but Corey Thompson sparked the Celts with a steal that led to a layup from Kongolo. UST built momentum quickly as Johnson drained another three-pointer off a Kongolo assist, Gitonga stood firm at the free-throw line, and Allen finished inside following a strong rebound, pushing the Celts ahead 43–35. Dallas continued to battle, trimming the gap to six points midway through the half, but UST responded with a dominant stretch. A jumper from Kongolo ignited a 13-point run that stretched the lead to 62–43, putting UST up by 19 points with 10 minutes remaining. The Celts maintained control the rest of the way, as Tamarcus Butler provided energy off the bench with a layup and two free throws to push the lead past 70. UST closed out the game with steady execution, highlighted by a late layup from Chase Cain off an offensive rebound, securing the 76–62 victory.

Angel Johnson led the Celts with 14 points, shooting 5-of-6 from the field and knocking down both of his three-point attempts. Nathan Kongolo added 12 points on 5-of-8 shooting while going 2-for-2 at the free-throw line. Reyce Allen contributed 9 points and had a strong defensive presence with eight rebounds total. Charles Gitonga also delivered a perfect shooting performance, going 3-for-3 from the line.

Up Next:
The Celts look to tackle their next conference opponent, in a home match-up hosting Austin College on Sunday, Jan. 11th at 11:00 AM. Game details and updates will be available on ustcelts.com, and fans can follow the team on Instagram at @ustmbasketball.