HOUSTON, TEXAS - Trinity Men's Basketball falls to nationally-ranked St. Thomas (TX) in the second round of the NCAA Playoffs.

The Tigers will finish their season with a 22-7 overall record and a 12-2 record in Southern Athletic Association (SAA) play. In today's game, Dean Balo (Dallas, Texas / JJ Pearce) lead the team with 13 total points and six boards. Joshua Chesney (Corpus Christi, Texas / London) also added 11 points while also tallying six rebounds. Benjamin Wagner (San Antonio, Texas / Cornerstone Christian) and Gabe Parr (Austin, Texas / Westwood) both delivered double-digit points as well tonight. 

The Rundown

Trinity battled early, but St. Thomas opened the game with a 6-0 burst before Balo got the Tigers on the board with a three-pointer at the 15:43 mark. Ben Estis (Southlake, Texas / Carroll) added a triple with 14:20 left, and later in the half Wagner scored inside and Parr followed with a layup to trim the margin to 13-10. St. Thomas answered with a couple of key runs, including a 7-0 stretch that pushed the lead to 25-13 and then a 10-0 run later in the half that gave the home team full control. Trinity picked up points from Wagner on a tip-in, Balo on a jumper, and Jackson Lawson (Southlake, Texas / Carroll) on a late tip-in, but the Tigers went into the break trailing 35-19.

Trinity came out firing to start the second half and delivered its biggest run of the night. After Chesney knocked down a three-pointer at 19:03 off an assist from Balo, Balo drilled a three of his own at 17:58 off a feed from Estis. A few moments later, Chesney buried another three at 17:31, again with Balo assisting, to cap a 9-0 Trinity run and cut the deficit to 37-28. St. Thomas stopped the surge with a score of its own, then answered with steady offense the rest of the half to keep the Tigers from getting any closer than single digits.

Trinity kept battling throughout the period. Parr scored twice in the paint, Chesney added a layup and another three, Will Bronson (Dallas, Texas / Jesuit) finished a tip-in, and Carter Ruck (Southlake, Texas / Carroll) connected from beyond the arc as the Tigers tried to chip away. Wagner added a free throw and a dunk, while Parr and Wagner each scored again in the closing minutes. Late in the game, Balo converted a layup and then hit a three-pointer, and Estis added two free throws in the final minute. Even with that late push, St. Thomas answered with an 8-0 run in the closing stretch to seal the result.

Final: St. Thomas 75, Trinity 58