HOUSTON - Trinity University Men's Basketball fell in the first rematch of the 2021 Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference championship game, 59-51, on the road at University of St. Thomas.

The Tigers (11-3, 3-2 SCAC) overcame the program's lowest first-half scoring output in over 10 seasons (13 points) to draw the game to within one possession with two minutes to play before ceding the first of a two-game SCAC road trip this weekend.

First-year guard Jacob Harvey (Huffman, Texas / Hargrave) led the comeback bid scoring nine consecutive points to reach the three-point, 49-46 deficit with two minutes to go. The Tiger rookie ended the game with a team-high 12 points and five steals as Trinity's fierce second-half defensive push caused multiple backcourt turnovers for the Celts in the late stages.

Fellow guards senior AJ Clark (San Antonio, Texas / Johnson) and junior Griffin Levine (Dallas, Texas / Yavneh) joined in Harvey's heroics as they combined for 12 points, five assists and a pair of steals over the final 20 minutes.

Trinity's second-half effort also came thanks to the depth of the Tiger roster, which led to a 22-2 advantage in bench points in the second period, led by 16 from the combination of Harvey and Levine.

The Tigers take the next outbound flight to Colorado Springs to battle Colorado College on Saturday afternoon before returning to San Antonio for the B-side of the conference home-and-home with St. Thomas Friday, January 21.

The Rundown

Two of the highest-scoring squads in the SCAC eased into Thursday night's 2021 conference championship rematch, waiting nearly two minutes to find the bottom of either basket until the Celts drew first blood on a three-pointer from the top of the key. The slow start continued as St. Thomas drew out a 12-2 opening run over the first six minutes of action. Harvey finally answered driving a crowded lane for a strong finish at the rim, his only two points in the opening frame.

Trinity's more concerning disadvantage early on came via the whistle as the Celts were quickly put in the bonus through seven Tiger team fouls in seven minutes to just four calls made against Thursday's host, though it was a storyline that quickly vanished as the game progressed. A made free throw from Levine brought Trinity back to a single-digit deficit into the under-12 intermission, 15-6 UST.

With around nine-and-a-half to play in the opening period the Tigers returned the first line to the floor in an attempt to break up a gamewide scoring drought from the field. Neither team collected a made field goal for nearly six minutes of play before sophomore guard Tanner Brown (San Antonio, Texas / Brandeis) collected an unconverted and-one that bookended the under-eight timeout. A second Brown layup in transition capped a 7-0 Trinity run that lasted 6:03 in the heart of the first half. St. Thomas responded with a 15-0 run that spilled through the midway intermission. Junior guard Kaleb Jenkins (New Orleans, La. / MP Country Day) finally answered through heavy contact which led to another unsuccessful and-one but did bring an end to the run.

After a pair of traded possessions over the next few minutes, the customary Trinity offense finally made its first appearance with an 8-0 Tiger run ending on another layup in transition from Brown just before the 12-minute mark in the second stanza. Junior forward Enzo Sechi's (Houston, Texas / Taylor) second made field goal of the game on the next Trinity possession matched the first-half scoring total in less than nine minutes of Thursday's defensive battle but the Tigers would nearly double it scoring effort from the first 30 minutes of play over the final 10.

A quick five-point burst powered by a contested Levine three-pointer with seven-and-a-half to go represented the start of one final push for the Tigers. Just three minutes later, Harvey collected a pair of free throws and a steal-and-score on the ensuing inbound to force a St. Thomas timeout with Trinity back to within eight points with just over four minutes to play.

The Harvey heroics continued with a stunner three-ball from the top of the key to dwindle the Celt advantage to just five points, 49-44, which held into the final media break of the second half at 2:39 to play.

The Tigers' high-pressure zone defense opened the door for a clutch interception by Clark on the right wing which he quickly turned into a crisp, cross-court pass to Harvey for his ninth straight point in just over two minutes of play.

Levine buried one final three-pointer with 14 seconds to go but time eventually ran out on the dramatic Trinity comeback effort

Up Next

Trinity Men's Basketball concludes its SCAC road trip at Colorado College on Saturday at 1 p.m. CT, Noon MT.

Trinity returns to San Antonio next week to run back this week's regularly-scheduled SCAC matchups in the Bell Center, with the rematch against the Celts scheduled for 6 p.m. CT on Friday, January 21 followed by Colorado College Sunday afternoon.