MIAMI GARDENS, FL, (NOVEMBER 7, 2024) - The St. Thomas University Men's Basketball Team won their home opener against the Florida National Conquistadors on Friday night by a score of 84-77.
The first half was tight from both teams, with the visiting Conquistadors shooting the ball at a high clip. The Bobcats and Conquistadors both shot the ball well throughout the first half, with the Bobcats getting some strong looks in the final few minutes. Towards the end of the half, St. Thomas was able to pack on a small lead, thanks to strong rebounding from senior Sean Shore down the stretch from both sides of the ball.
The Bobcats then headed back to the locker room during halftime with a 4 point lead.
The second half was similar to the first, but Florida National responded with strong offense, which gave them their largest lead of 16. The Conquistadors found a groove in the second half, and ran their offense mostly through Cameron Johnson, who finished the night with 26 points.
For the home team, juniors Esteban Lluberes and Colin Nutter worked in tandem for the majority of the regulation. Nutter finished with 29 points, and Lluberes finished with 26. Out of the 84 total points, 55 came from Lluberes and Nutter, notching an impressive 65%.
The Bobcats then saw themselves down by 5 with 28 seconds remaining.
Lluberes was fouled with 28 seconds left, and sank two clutch free throws to cut the Florida National Lead to 3. With 15 seconds left, the Bobcats regained possession.
With a second remaining in the 2nd half, down 3 points, Colin Nutter catches Esteban Lluberes in stride for a catch and shoot, resulting in a flushed 3 pointer from the corner to tie it all up at 71.
The Fernandez Family Center was rocking as fans were on their feet, and saw their beloved Bobcats send it into overtime.
Overtime was tight, but Zach Moss's squad did a fantastic job grabbing rebounds, and playing conservative basketball. Nutter and Lluberes continued their offensive prowess as they added key points in the overtime minutes.
The visiting Conquistadors eventually found themselves running short on time, having to play the foul game.
Colin Nutter then heads back to the free throw line, and adds two more points to the box score.
They were then met by cheers as the buzzer went off for a final score of 84-77.
For their next game, the Bobcats take a trip up to West Palm Beach next Saturday, November 16, to take on Keiser University. Tip off is set for 4pm.
