Men's Basketball traveled to Irving, Texas on Friday for the 2023-24 SCAC opener against Dallas. After a sluggish start, the Celts found life down the stretch, but the comeback effort fell short and UD held on in a thriller for the 81-78 win.

St. Thomas faltered coming out of the gates, as Dallas built an early 19-7 lead. Calvin Williams IV and Marion Williams led a spurt to get the Celts within 5, but another huge UD run had them up 43-22 late in the first half. Williams IV kept the Celts in the contest, though, as another jumper and a pair of free throws gave him 9 points at the break. UD led at halftime by a score of 47-30.

UST roared out of the locker room with a 9-0 run, led by another 5 points from Williams. Nick Anderson and Wesley Hooker chipped in makes to stem another UD run, but in the final 8 minutes of the game, Williams put the team on his back. He ultimately scored 27 points in the second half, hitting shots from all over the floor and dragging the Celts back. When Williams wasn't scoring, Marion Williams had a pair of three pointers and Nick Anderson hit several crucial free throws. Despite trailing by as many as 15 in the half, St. Thomas had a shot to tie the game at the final horn, but Williams IV wasn't able to convert from near midcourt and the comeback effort came up short.

Calvin Williams IV led all scorers in the game with 36 points on 13-25 shooting (3-6 from three) and Nick Anderson posted a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds in the losing effort. Despite falling short on the scoreboard, St. Thomas dominated the glass in the game. UST out rebounded Dallas 51-30, including 20 offensive rebounds.

Men's Basketball has an opportunity to get this one back quickly, as they head to Austin Saturday afternoon. Be sure to follow ustcelts.com for all scores and updates.