MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. – St. Thomas (9-7, TSC 4-3) strove to victory in a 77-69 overtime victory over Florida Memorial (1-14, TSC 0-6) at the Fernandez Family Center Tuesday night. Mikon Hewitt led all players in scoring and assists with 24 points and five assists to secure another conference victory.
 
The first half of the match started strong for the Bobcats, as they were able to make three out of seven three pointers and produce 21 of their 33 points from the tag team of Mikon Hewitt and David Santiago. Free throws were also critical for the Bobcats in the first, gaining an additional 14 points from 20 tries at the charity stripe.
 
Early out of the gates, Florida Memorial surged with 10-2 run in the second half's opening three minutes. The Bobcats were able to respond with a 10-4 run of their own in the ensuing minutes.
 
The game continued to have spurts with strong runs from both sides, and STU's lead shrunk to five within the game's final minutes.  A clutch layup and free throw by Florida Memorial's Hanif Malloy cut the lead to three with 40 seconds left.  A steal by the Lions Isaiah King would directly lead to another foul garnered by Malloy on the fast break.  Malloy would again convert his free throws to tie the contest.  The Bobcats had a chance to seize victory with 15 seconds left in the game, but a missed layup by Hewitt sent STU to its' third straight conference overtime game.  

St. Thomas controlled the balance of overtime, outscoring Florida Memorial 10-2.  James Vice and Lorel Beckford led with five points each in the extra period. The Bobcats have been sensational in their last two overtime games, outscoring their opponent's 20-2.
 
Overall, three Bobcats were able to put up double digit points: Hewitt with 24, Vice with 19, and Santiago with 16. Beckford led the team with 10 rebounds and four steals.
 
The men's basketball team returns to action this Thursday at 7 P.M., when they travel to Babson Park for another conference match-up against Webber International.