SARASOTA, FLA (FEBRUARY 21, 2026) - The regular season came to a commanding close in Sarasota as the St. Thomas University Bobcats rolled past the New College of Florida Mighty Banyons, 102-82, in wire-to-wire fashion.

St. Thomas never trailed and controlled the tempo from the opening tip, building a double-digit first-half cushion and stretching the advantage to as many as 25 points midway through the second half. The Bobcats' balanced attack, dominance on the glass, and efficient shooting proved too much for the Mighty Banyons in the regular-season finale.

Noah Tovar led the way with a stellar all-around performance, pouring in 30 points on 10-of-16 shooting, including 4-of-5 from three-point range. He added nine rebounds and nine assists, flirting with a triple-double while leading the Bobcats' offense. 

Kaleb Myers delivered a powerful inside presence, recording a double-double with 20 points and 13 rebounds, including nine on the offensive glass. His work helped St. Thomas rack up 23 second-chance points and a commanding 58-21 advantage on the boards. Joshua Thrower contributed 13 points and 11 rebounds, while Adrian Cruz chipped in 11 points as four starters finished in double figures.

As a team, the Bobcats shot 52.8 percent from the field and 42.3 percent from beyond the arc, knocking down 11 three-pointers. After a solid first half, St. Thomas elevated its efficiency in the second, shooting better than 60 percent from the floor and nearly 78 percent from the free-throw line.

New College was powered by a remarkable individual effort from Shawn Lefresne, who erupted for 47 points on 19-of-30 shooting. He carried the offensive load for the Mighty Banyons, accounting for more than half of the team's scoring output. Diego Eslava added 13 points off the bench, but New College struggled to find consistent secondary scoring and was outrebounded heavily throughout the contest.

The Mighty Banyons shot 44.6 percent overall but connected on just 4-of-21 attempts from three-point range. Despite improving to 57 percent shooting in the second half, the early deficit and rebounding disparity were too much. 

With the victory, St. Thomas closes the regular season on a high note, and now await their opponent for the Sun Conference tournament.