MIAMI GARDENS, FLA (JANUARY 14, 2026) - In front of a near sellout crowd at the Fernandez Family Center, the St. Thomas University men's basketball team claimed game one of the "Battle of Miami Gardens" on Wednesday night, edging Florida Memorial University, 63–61, in a dramatic contest that came down to the final seconds.
The atmosphere matched the intensity from the opening tip, as the Bobcats and Lions traded leads throughout an extremely close game that featured five ties and five lead changes. Neither team led by more than a mere three points all night, and the outcome remained in doubt until the final two possessions.
With St. Thomas clinging to a one-point advantage late, Jacob Sterck was fouled on an over the back and calmly stepped to the stripe and knocked down the final two game-winning free throws, giving the Bobcats a 63–61 advantage with less than six seconds and sealing the rivalry victory in front of a raucous home crowd.
In the last possession of the game, Florida Memorial used its final timeout to advance the ball and draw up a potential game winner. Florida Memorial's Cameron Noel shot a three pointer from the top of the three point line and barely missed the game winner as the buzzer went off to seal the victory for the Bobcats.
For Zach Moss's squad, Adrian Cruz led all scorers with 19 points, adding five rebounds and two assists, while Esteban Lluberes provided a huge spark from beyond the arc, hitting five three-pointers on his way to 16 points, before fouling out in the last few minuted. Kaleb Myers controlled the glass with a game-high 12 rebounds to go along with seven points, helping the Bobcats win the rebounding battle, 37–24.
Florida Memorial was led by Cameron Noel's 17 points, while Jeffery Selden chipped in 12 points and six rebounds. The Lions kept the pressure on until the final buzzer, shooting 13-of-15 from the free-throw line and scoring 32 points in the paint.
St. Thomas finished the night shooting 46.3 percent from the field and an efficient 42.9 percent from three-point range, overcoming a tight finish while locking down the LIons in the final few possessions.
With the win, the Bobcats take a 1–0 edge in the "Battle of Miami Gardens," setting the tone for the rest of the rivalry series and giving the home fans at the Fernandez Family Center plenty to celebrate after an unforgettable night of college basketball.
The Bobcats will look to ride of their thrilling win on Saturday, January 17 as they welcome Sun Conference foe Ave Maria University.
Tip off is set for 4PM.
