The St. Edward’s University’s men’s basketball team opened preseason play with a victory on the road against the UTSA Roadrunners Nov. 7. Although SEU led for the majority of the game, in the final minutes of the fourth quarter, USTA crept close to taking the win.  

Freshman point guard, Luke Pluymen, was an essential player, as crucial free throws were enough to take down UTSA with a narrow 77-76 final score.

With a hard-fought win under their belt, SEU moved on to host Colorado Christian. SEU dominated the game by a near 30-point victory of 93-67. SEU commanded both sides of the ball, as they were able to score 31 points off of turnovers. It was Sophomore Forward Sean Phillips that took over the game by shooting for over 50 percent of the game from beyond the arch. Phillips gives credit to the offense for the spectacular night.  

“Our coach’s offense is perfect for shooters like us. I can trust what’s happening out there and I can trust my teammates to knock the shot down for myself and someone else,” Phillips said. Everyone came out ready to shoot, everyone wanted to contribute the people coming off  the bench really help us out today.”

With a score of 97 over Colorado Christian, the team seemed ready to take on the Colorado Mesa Mavericks the next day.

Although new to the team, captain and junior point guard, August Haas, has adjusted well, as he exhibited the ability to carry out the offense that lead the Heartland Conference in scoring this past season. Haas is confident in his team–even in high paced games.

“It feels great we’ve been practicing for a while so finally having the home opener and getting a big win is good,” Haas said. “We’ve got a different team tomorrow, so we’ve got to be locked in, be ready to play with great pace and ready to knock down shots.”

Coming off back-to-back games in a two-day span did not seem to wear SEU out as they once again showed both teamwork and relentless effort in their win over the Mavericks.

It was junior guard Ashton Spears that took over this game with three steals and 25 point performance. Junior forward Dorian Lopez contributed 12 points and six rebounds in the victory. Topping the Mavericks 72-84, SEU had a successful weekend opening preseason play at home.

SEU will look to continue their streak through the preseason, as they are set to travel and take on Eastern New Mexico State and Angelo State this weekend.