Even with furious late comeback, Schreiner men fall short against No. 14 St. Thomas

Despite a furious comeback in the closing seconds, Schreiner University’s men’s basketball team still couldn’t overcome unbeaten Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference-leading St. Thomas University on Friday night in a 74-69 loss.

Trailing 65-50 with three minutes remaining, the Mountaineers closed the game out with a 19-9 run, including three 3-pointers in the game’s final seconds.

Guard Beau Cervantes scored seven points in those final seconds, including a pair of clutch threes. Fellow guard Dylan Mackey had five points and three assists.

While it’s still a loss, Schreiner’s effort Friday was indicative of where the team should have been throughout the season. Mackey and Bronson Evans came off the bench, and Mackey led the Mountaineers with 14 points. And for the first time in weeks, the Mountaineers found 3-point range, hitting 12 for the first time since Nov. 16.

St. Thomas came into Kerrville as the nation’s No. 14-ranked NCAA Division III team and survived a decidedly different from the two team’s last meeting — when St. Thomas routed the Mountaineers 60-34 in December.

Leading 35-29 at halftime, St. Thomas pecked away at the Mountaineers, building leads as big as 15 points, while the Mountaineers struggled.

Cervantes finished the game with 13 points, and Darian Gibson scored 11 for the Mountaineers (9-9 overall, 3-6 SCAC), who return to action at 4 p.m. Saturday against visiting Centenary.