MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. – St. Thomas (9-4) dropped a non-conference game to Talladega (9-4) 69-65 on Friday evening in the Shula's Hotel Classic held at the Fernandez Family Center.

Timothy Sada led the Bobcats with 17 points on five made three-pointers.  Darwin Trotman scored 10 points, while Raheem Bowman pulled down 11 rebounds to go along with eight points and two blocked shots. Mikon Hewitt dished out a team-high five assists while swiping four steals.  Khalil Williams added nine points.

The Bobcats led most of the first half, extending their lead to 25-18 with six minutes to play until intermission on a Sada three-pointer.  STU went into halftime with a 35-32 lead, holding Talladega to just 38% shooting and a dismal 2-12 from beyond the arc in the opening stanza.

The Tornadoes came back in the second half as their offense came alive, shooting 52% in the second half.  Trailing 65-61 with less than 90 seconds to play, Sada hit his fifth three-pointer of the contest to make the score 65-64 with 1:13 to play.  Talladega however pulled away again in the final minute of the contest to take the 69-65 win.

St. Thomas returns to action on Tuesday, January 2 at 6 p.m. with another home non-conference match up as the Bobcats host Olivet Nazarene at the Fernandez Family Center.