Houston,
22
March
2021
|
09:06 AM
America/Chicago

Men's Basketball Wins Second Consecutive SCAC Title

UST Men's Basketball Team wins SCAC Conference tournamentMen's Basketball claimed their second consecutive SCAC Championship with an 80-66 victory over Trinity University.

The most anticipated game of the year did not disappoint as the Celts and the Tigers traded blows for the entire game. As both teams fought for momentum, Juan Hood would come up huge for UST, draining six threes in the half and posting 20 points. With the half winding down, Hood would bury back-to-back triples to give the Celts the one-point lead heading into the break.

UST would pick up where they left off to open the half as Hood and Christian Alaekwe would hit consecutive three-pointers to push the Celts lead to four. However, the Tigers would claw back into the game and would eventually steal the lead with 10 minutes left to play. With the SCAC title in their sights, UST would step on the gas pedal to claim their second straight championship. The Celts would catch fire as eight straight points from Cameron Gims would extend their lead to seven. Only 50 seconds later, Freddie Ricks III would hit a pair of triples, and the Celts would find themselves up double-digits.

Juan Hood would lead all scorers with 24 points, while grabbing five rebounds. Christian Alaekwe would play a complete game, recording 21 points, seven rebounds, four assists and a pair of blocks and steals. The SCAC Defensive Player of the Year, Cameron Gims, would have four steals and two blocks, along with his 18 points and 11 rebounds.

This victory caps off three-straight championship seasons for Anthony Medina and the Celts. After winning the Red River Conference Tournament in 2019, then posting an astounding 24-2 record on their way to an SCAC Regular Season title in 2020, to now being named SCAC Tournament Champions, UST has proven to be a force in the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference.