by Aaron Acosta and CooXooEii Black (Arapaho) each scored 22 points for Colorado College, but playing from behind for nearly the entire game caught up with the Tigers and the University of St. Thomas held on for a 102-92 victory in the first-ever men’s basketball game between the schools on Monday afternoon.
Trailing by 28 points six minutes into the second half, CC outscored the Celts, 36-17, during the next 12 minutes to cut its deficit to nine points on an Acosta jumper with 1:43 remaining.
Freddie Ricks, who finished with 21 points for UST, drained a three-pointer to give the Celts a 12-point cushion with 1:19 to go and the hosts were able to maintain a double-digit lead through the final buzzer.
Acosta, who went 7-for-19 from the floor and sank all five of his free-throw attempts, reached the 20-point mark for the second time this season. He also tied for the team lead with five rebounds.
Black, who scored 20 or more points for the fourth game in a row and the fifth time this season, connected on nine of 12 field-goal attempts to shoot .750 of better for the second time.
CC also received a season-high 12 points from Scott Cunningham, who buried four of five shots from behind the arc. The sophomore point guard also shared the team lead with five boards.
St. Thomas led 37-14 midway through the first half, but the Tigers scored 12 in a row to pull to within 37-26 on Nabeel Elabdeia’s three-pointer with 7:44 remaining before halftime.
Colorado College was within eight points after Eric Jonas knocked down a jumper with 2:29 to go, however the Celts answered with seven in a row and took a 12-point lead into the break.
Nathan Thormaehlen recorded 21 points and six rebounds for UST, while Kennard Robinson added 20 points and 12 assists.
