IRVING, Texas -- Andrew Adebo, one of four St. Thomas players in double figures, scored a game-high 17 points in helping lead St. Thomas to a 58-53 overtime win against Trinity in the 2025 SCAC Men's Basketball Tournament championship game on Sunday afternoon at the Maher Athletic Center on the campus of the University of Dallas.
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St. Thomas (23-4) clinches the league's automatic bid to the 2025 NCAA Division III Women's Basketball Championship and will await word of its opponent and location when the bracket is announced on Monday. Texas Lutheran improved to 3-1 in the SCAC championship game, including a 3-1 mark against Trinity.
Both teams started slowly from an offensive standpoint as Trinity opened up the game on an 8-2 run only midway through the first half. An Angel Johnson layup tied the game at 8-8 at the 6:00-mark of the first half before the Celts were able to take a 19-16 halftime lead into the locker room.
Trinity's Ty Williams tied the game at 25-25 with a layup at the 16:34-mark. St. Thomas was able to answer as the Celts pushed their lead to 36-29 after a pair of Nicholas Buffalo free throws midway through the second half. With just under six minutes to play, the Tigers found themselves down eight. Trinity dug in and rattled off an 8-0 run to tie the game at 43-43 with 1:33 to play in regulation, highlighted by a transition layup by Zach Fenn. Both teams added a pair of free throws to force the extra frame tied at 45-45.
In overtime, the teams traded 3-pointers early before St. Thomas' Marion Williams connected from beyond the arc to give the Celts a 54-50 lead with 1:56 to play. From there, Trinity was able to cut the St. Thomas lead to two but was not able to get any closer as the Celts closed out the championship win.
The championship is the first for St. Thomas since 2022 and secures the program the SCAC's automatic bid to the 2025 NCAA Division III Men's Basketball Championship.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- St. Thomas connected on 40.0 percent (22-of-55) from the floor while Trinity shot at a 34.5 percent (19-of-55) clip.
- Trinity won the battle on the glass as the Tigers out-rebouded the Celts by a 43-34 margin, including a 17-12 edge on the offensive glass.
- The Tigers held a 36-22 edge in points in the paint while the Celts held a commanding 25-9 margin in points off the bench.
- The game featured eight ties and seven lead changes.
- Andrew Adebo: 17 points, 8 rebounds, 7-of-9 FG's, 3-of-3 FT's, 3 steals, 1 assist
- Angel Johnson: 12 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals
- Nathan Kongolo: 10 points, 5 rebounds, 5-of-11 FG's, 4 steals
- Charles Gitonga: 10 points, 7 rebounds, 4-of-10 FG's, 3 blocks
- Christian Green: 15 points, 8 rebounds, 6-of-10 FG's
- Dean Balo: 12 points, 8 rebounds (4 offensive), 4-of-10 FG's, 3 assists, 1 steal
- Ty Williams: 11 points, 6 rebounds (4 offensive),
- St. Thomas (25-2) earned the program's third SCAC tournament championship and the first since 2022. The Celts improved to 3-0 all-time in the title game.
- The win extended the St. Thomas winning streak to five games while improving to 9-1 over its last 10 games.
- St. Thomas' Andrew Adebo was named the Tournament MVP. Joining Adebo on the All-Tournament team were teammates Angel Johnson and Nathan Kongolo. The Trinity duo of Dean Balo and Christian Green, as well as Schreiner's CJ Ward also earned All-Tournament nods.
- The Celts improved to 7-2 all-time in SCAC postseason play, including 3-0 against Trinity. All three meetings against Trinity have come in the championship game.
- The Tigers fall to 30-16 all-time in SCAC postseason play and 6-5 in the championship game.
- Trinity (22-5) will await word on a potential at-large bid to the 2025 NCAA Division III Men's Basketball Championship when the bracket is announced on Monday.
