College College fell to No. 14 St. Thomas (TX) by a final score of 78-62 on Saturday afternoon in Houston, Texas. 
 
The Celts got out to an early lead after the Tigers scored the first two baskets and never forfeited the lead after that. 
 
CC (2-8) was led by freshman Ryan Krantz, who scored a career-high 18 points and finished shooting 75 percent from the floor (6-8). All of Krantz's shots were made from beyond the three-point line, where he shot 86 percent (6-7). It's the most shots made from the three-point line for a Tiger this season. 
 
Three other Tigers finished with double-digit points, including senior Orion Samikogl,u who was second on the team with 12 points, one rebound and three three-pointers. 

Senior Asher Nofziger was one rebound shy of a double-double, finishing with 10 points and nine rebounds.

St. Thomas responded quickly after CC opened the scoring, using a strong stretch of transition offense to seize control midway through the first half. The Celts shot better than 50 percent from the floor in the opening period and built a 47–31 advantage at halftime, capitalizing on points off turnovers and fast-break opportunities.

CC settled in offensively in the second half and matched St. Thomas point-for-point over the final 20 minutes. The Tigers shot 42.9 percent from the field after halftime and connected on six three-pointers, including five from Kranz, but were unable to cut the deficit to single digits.

Senior Ty Hendler added 10 points, knocking down a pair of three-pointers, while Gavin Carter dished out eight assists to lead the Tigers. CC finished the afternoon shooting 45.8 percent from three-point range as a team.

St. Thomas finished with advantages in points in the paint (30–20), fast-break scoring (22–4), and bench points (42–22), which proved decisive in the conference matchup.

CC will continue its Texas road trip with a matchup at Hardin-Simmons on Monday, Jan. 5, at noon MT.