GEORGETOWN, Texas — A shorthanded Southwestern men's basketball team fought tough against the No. 2 team in the SCAC standings, falling short in a 67-57 loss to the University of St. Thomas Celts. 

Southwestern was without Preston Hannah, the team's third-leading scorer and one of its most dynamic threats off the dribble, and guard Hudson Boyd. Still, the Pirates battled defensively in the first half, playing solid initial defense in holding the Celts to just 34.4 percent shooting before the break. 

With superior size and athleticism, St. Thomas managed to overcome its shooting deficiencies with volume, taking 32 shots to Southwestern's 22 in the half. The Pirates surrendered eight offensive rebounds and committed 12 turnovers, giving St. Thomas a 9-0 edge in points off turnovers, including a 7-0 advantage in fastbreak points. 

The Pirates stayed within striking distance with great shotmaking from Chris Smith, Jr., and Kyle Poerschke, who scored eight and seven points on a combined 5-for-10 shooting to stay within 28-25 at the break. 

Southwestern fell behind six nearly halfway through the second half, trailing 46-50 after a Joshua Sanchez layup off a turnover with 11:44 remaining. The Pirates cut the lead to one a few minutes later on a pair of Zac Black free throws to close the deficit to 48-47 with 8:08 left in the game. 

St. Thomas gained momentum on a six-point swing that started with Calen Anderson making the first of two free throws and the Celts rebounding the miss on the second. St. Thomas capitalized with a corner 3-pointer by Christiana Alaekwe. Cameron Gims followed with a steal at halfcourt and a pair of free throws for the 54-47 lead. The Celts closed the game with a 13-10 run to seal the game. 

Poerschke led Southwestern with 14 points and six rebounds. Black added 10 points on five shots with three rebounds and two assists. The Pirates committed 22 turnovers, surrendering 23 points. St. Thomas also collected 15 offensive rebounds for 14 second-chance points. 

Alaekwe led St. Thomas with 19 points and seven rebounds, shooting 5-for-10 from deep. Andrew Nguyen added 15 points, three assists, and three steals. Gims contributed 11 points, six rebounds, and four steals. 

Southwestern drops to 8-13 with a 5-7 conference record. The Pirates will travel for a rematch with St. Thomas on Wednesday at 5:30 p.m., then again on Saturday against Trinity.