HOUSTON — Three times in the final three minutes, the Southwestern men's basketball team was able to cut what had been a double-digit deficit into a single possession game.
The University of St. Thomas responded all three times, holding on for a 76-71 victory over the Pirates, sweeping the regular-season series.
Kyle Poerschke led four Southwestern scorers in double figures with 22 points and nine rebounds, shooting 8-for-15 from the floor and contributing two steals and a block. Chris Smith, Jr. added 12 points, and Josh Jones and Brock Luechtefeld each scored 11.
Southwestern shot 47.2 percent (25-for-53) and cut down on its turnovers from the previous game but could not overcome St. Thomas shooting 58.8 percent (10-for-24) from behind the 3-point line.
St. Thomas built a double-digit lead with a balanced, efficient scoring attack in the first half. The Celts had five players with six or more points, with reserves Juan Hood and Adam Kanafani combining for 16 on 6-for-9 shooting. The Celts shot 16-for-30 from the field and outscored Southwestern 22-12 in points in the paint to take a 43-31 lead at the half.
Poerschke led a second-half comeback, scoring 14 points after the break on a sizzling 5-for-8 shooting. The Pirates also got efficient scoring inside from both of its centers, with Zac Black and Luechtefeld combining for 11 points on 5-for-6 shooting in the second half.
Chris Alaekwe's long-range shooting was enough to maintain the lead for St. Thomas, scoring 11 of his team-high 17 points in the second half, hitting 3-for-5 from deep.
Southwestern drops to 8-14 with a 5-8 conference record. The Pirates will travel to San Antonio on Saturday to play Trinity, then host Centenary and Austin College the following weekend to close out the regular season.