HOUSTON, TX- The University of St. Thomas men's basketball team continued their home competition hosting Austin College. In an overwhelming match, the Roos fell to an 86–46 victory, and the win pushes the Celts' winning streak to nine.

UST settled in early after Austin opened the scoring, quickly responding through strong effort on the glass. Charles Gitonga made his presence felt immediately, securing an offensive rebound before converting a tip-in to put the Celts on the board. That momentum carried into the opening minutes as Nathan Kongolo connected on a jumper off an assist from Angel Johnson, setting the tone for a fast-paced, aggressive attack. UST's offense opened up as Johnson caught fire from beyond the arc, drilling multiple three-pointers to stretch the lead. Kongolo added another triple of his own, making the score 17-5 while the Celts' defense forced turnovers that led to quick baskets in the paint. In the final five minutes of the half, Reyce Allen took over inside, as he finished strong with tip-ins and layups in the paint, extending the lead to 20. Kongolo added a late basket inside off another Johnson assist, and the Celts closed the half strong with a tip-in from Corey Thompson, heading into halftime up 43–23.

Opening up the second half, UST picked up right where it left off. Early defensive stops led to a three-pointer from Charles Gitonga, assisted by Kongolo, followed shortly by a layup from Johnson to push the score to 48-27. This momentum also carried to Allen, as he energized the crowd with a clean dunk, to stretch the lead 52-30. UST's ball movement remained sharp, resulting in open looks and easy finishes at the rim. With the lead growing, the Celts maintained their intensity on both ends, hindering the Roos to find a rhythm. Down the stretch of the final minutes in the match, the tone had already been set by the starters but was still reflected amongst the other players. The last highlight came as Brennan Webb knocked down two three-pointers to close out the game, sealing the dominant 86–46 victory through the final horn. 

The Celts were led by Reyce Allen, who finished with 10 points while shooting 5-of-6 from the field, adding a strong defensive presence with six rebounds. Charles Gitonga followed closely behind, contributing nine points and pulling down eight rebounds, while shooting efficiently from the floor and knocking down his lone three-point attempt. Nathan Kongolo added eight points and facilitated the offense with four assists, while Angel Johnson rounded out the effort with eight points, five assists, 4 turnovers, and three steals, providing steady control on both ends of the court.

Up Next:
St. Thomas looks to continue in their conference play as they travel to Clarksville, AR to face University of the Ozarks. The match wil take place on Friday, Jan. 16 @5:30 PM. Game details and updates will be available on ustcelts.com, and fans can follow the team on Instagram at @ustmbasketball.