HOUSTON – The Celts of the University of St. Thomas scored the last 15 points of the first half Saturday and cruised to a 94-68 win over visiting Centenary College (La.).
Playing in front of the largest crowd of the season due to UST's Homecoming Weekend, the Celts claimed their 15th win in 16 games this season and retook sole possession of first place in the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference standings as they improved to 8-1 in league play.
UST's Nathan Thormaehlen (Katy, Texas / Katy) turned in a double-double performance with 16 points and 12 rebounds, while Joshua Sanchez (McAllen, Texas / McAllen Memorial) finished a rebound shy of his own double-double as he scored 17 points and secured nine rebounds. Sanchez shot 7-of-11 from the field.
Freddie Ricks III (Cypress, Texas / Cypress Springs) scored 14 points for the Celts, while Austin Arnold (Katy, Texas / Taylor) chipped in nine points – three 3-pointers – off the UST bench.
Cedric Harris scored a game-high 24 points for Centenary (8-8, 5-4 SCAC).
The teams battled back-and-forth throughout the first portion of the first half until visiting Gents scored nine unanswered points on three consecutive 3-pointers – including two from Harris – to take a 29-22 lead with 8:02 remaining in the first half.
From there, the Celts seized control as they finished the period by outscoring Centenary 18-3, which included scoring the last 15 points of the half. Cameron Gims (Cypress, Texas / Cy-Fair) knocked down two 3-pointers during that stretch as UST took a 43-32 lead into halftime.
UST opened the second half with 3-pointers from Ricks and Thormaehlen less than a minute into the half, and the Celts never saw their lead dip below 14 points from that point onward.
The Celts shot 45 percent (36 of 80) from the floor, made 44 percent (8 of 19) of their 3-point tries.
Saturday's win concluded a stretch of four consecutive home games for the Celts. The Celts return to action Friday, Jan. 24, when they open a two-game trip to Colorado at Johnson & Wales. Tipoff is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. CST (5:30 p.m. local time).
