SHERMAN, Texas – The Celts of the University of St. Thomas continued their season-long winning streak Saturday as they won 80-58 at Austin College.
Freddie Ricks III (Cypress, Texas / Cypress Springs HS) and Nathan Ghavidel (Boerne, Texas / Champion HS) scored 12 points apiece off the UST bench to lead the Celts (8-0), who improved to 2-0 in Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference play.
UST's Kennard Robinson (Houston, Texas / Sam Houston MSTC) scored 10 points and handed out five assists Saturday, while Paul Taulton (Pearland, Texas / Dawson HS) came off the bench to chip in 10 points.
The Celts sent Austin College (3-6) to its sixth consecutive loss.
UST will return to action Sunday, Dec. 29, when the Celts host Johnson & Wales (Colo.) at the campus' Jerabeck Center. Tipoff is scheduled for noon.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
Neither team could take a sizable lead until the midway point of the first half, when back-to-back 3-pointers by Ghavidel 23 seconds apart stretched UST's lead to 22-13 with 10:15 remaining in the period.
The Celts finished the first half on a 10-2 run and took a 43-26 lead into halftime. Eight unanswered UST points early in the second half stretched the Celts' lead to 53-31; Cameron Gims (Cypress, Texas / Cy-Fair HS) and Nathan Thormaehlen (Katy, Texas / Katy HS) each knocked down a 3-pointer during that run.
UST's lead stayed in double-digits throughout the second half. The Celts took their biggest lead at 25 points when Austin Arnold (Katy, Texas / Taylor HS) knocked down a 3-pointer with 48 seconds remaining to make the score 80-55.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:
• The Celts forced 20 turnovers and held a 32-8 advantage in points off turnovers.
• An all-around team effort saw eight UST players score at least six points in the game.
• The Celts won by 20 or more points for the sixth time in eight games this season.
• The UST bench provided 46 of the team's 80 points in Saturday's contest.
• UST shot better than 40 percent (14 of 34, 41.2 percent) for the sixth time this season.
