HOUSTON, TX – St. Thomas men's basketball team made program history Saturday night, defeating Trinity 75–58 to advance to the NCAA Division III Sweet 16 for the first time ever. With the victory, the Celts improve to 28–1 on the season and continue their postseason run.
St. Thomas set the tone early in the first half as Angel Johnson opened the scoring with a jumper to give the Celts a 2–0 lead. Reyce Allen followed with another jumper to extend the lead to 4–0 as the Celts applied pressure defensively and limited Trinity's early opportunities. Allen added another jumper to make it 6–0 before Trinity answered with a three-pointer to get on the board. Nathan Kongolo quickly responded with a three of his own, pushing the Celts' lead to 9–3 midway through the half.
St. Thomas continued to build momentum as Corey Thompson converted a fast-break layup to stretch the lead to 11–3. Charles Gitonga added a basket inside to make it 13–6 before Thompson knocked down a three-pointer to extend the advantage to 16–10.The Celts continued their run as Kongolo connected from deep again to make it 21–13. Thompson added another fast-break basket before Kongolo drilled his third three-pointer of the half, helping push the lead to 28–15. Late in the half, Allen converted a layup to make it 30–15 before Kongolo finished a fast-break opportunity to extend the lead to 32–15. Thompson then knocked down another three-pointer to give St. Thomas its largest lead of the half at 35–15. Trinity closed the half with a small run, but the Celts still carried a strong 35–19 lead into the break.
St. Thomas maintained control early in the second half as Allen opened the scoring with a jumper to push the lead to 37–19. Trinity responded with a short run behind perimeter shooting, cutting the deficit to 37–28.The Celts quickly steadied themselves as Johnson attacked the paint for a layup to make it 39–28. Buffalo added a free throw before Johnson converted two more from the line to extend the lead to 42–32. Kongolo continued his strong shooting performance, knocking down another three-pointer to push the lead to 50–39 midway through the half. Johnson followed with a jumper in the paint to keep St. Thomas in control.With under three minutes remaining, Thompson delivered a clutch three-pointer to stretch the lead to 63–51. Allen followed with a fast-break dunk to make it 68–51, igniting the home crowd as the Celts closed out the game. Thompson added a late layup and Buffalo finished a fast-break dunk as St. Thomas secured the 75–58 victory and a historic trip to the Sweet 16.
Thompson led the Celts with 18 points while shooting 7-of-13 from the field and 3-of-5 from beyond the arc. He also added four rebounds, two steals, and a block. Kongolo finished with 16 points, knocking down four three-pointers while also recording six assists and four steals. Allen matched Kongolo with 16 points on 7-of-11 shooting while adding four rebounds. Johnson contributed 12 points and 14 assists while also grabbing five rebounds and recording four steals. Buffalo added 11 points and six rebounds off the bench while shooting a perfect 4-for-4 from the field.
Up Next
With the victory, St. Thomas advances to the NCAA Division III Sweet 16 where the Celts will face Washington University in St. Louis. The matchup will be a rematch of the Celts' only loss this season, setting the stage for a highly anticipated postseason showdown. The NCAA will announce the official date, time, and location of the game in the coming days.
