Knights Fall to St. Thomas in USVI HBCU Classic Opener

The Southern University at New Orleans Knights dropped their opening game of the YES USVI HBCU Classic on Thursday night, falling 86-65 to the Florida St. Thomas University Bobcats.

St. Thomas established control early, building a commanding 46-29 halftime lead and never looking back. The Bobcats shot an impressive 54.9% from the field compared to SUNO's 39.0%, and dominated the glass with a 37-28 rebounding advantage.

Kaleb Myers led all scorers with 24 points for St. Thomas, going 7-of-8 from the field and 10-of-13 from the free-throw line. Esteban Lluberes added 16 points, while Colin Nutter and Adrian Cruz contributed 13 and 14 points, respectively.

For the Knights, sophomore guard Jaylon Hicks paced the offense with 13 points, eight rebounds, and two assists in over 30 minutes of action. Junior forward Caleb Williams was efficient off the bench, scoring 12 points on 4-of-5 shooting while making all four of his free-throw attempts.

Tynerion Jackson provided a spark off the bench with eight points in 21 minutes, while Dorian Booker added seven points. Devin Daniels chipped in six points and Donte Briggs contributed six as well, though Briggs struggled with his shot, going just 2-of-9 from the field.

The Knights struggled from beyond the arc, converting just 5-of-20 three-point attempts (25.0%), and were outscored 21-14 at the free-throw line despite shooting a respectable 77.8% from the stripe.

SUNO will look to bounce back quickly as they face the University of the Virgin Islands on Friday, December 12, at 8 a.m. in their final game of the tournament.