February 7, 2025
For the first time in more than a decade, the St. Mary’s University Men’s Basketball team has netted a national ranking.
The Rattler Men’s Basketball team is ranked No. 25 in Division II after receiving votes from the National Association of Basketball Coaches. The team was last ranked in 2013 when they were No. 23 at the end of their season.
The Rattlers sit at the top of the Lone Star Conference with an 11-game win streak, having not lost since Dec. 20 against Western Washington University. Their latest victory came Thursday in a double overtime win against UT Tyler, winning 87-75.
Leading the red-hot Rattlers on both sides of the court this season has been the junior guard Damani Claxton and graduate forward Lachlan Bofinger.
Claxton currently leads all Rattlers in scoring, averaging 17.1 points per game and sits at third in scoring in the Lone Star Conference.
Bofinger leads all Rattlers in rebounding with 9.8 boards per game and is second on the team in scoring with 13.6 points per game. Averaging just under a double-double for the season, the big man from Sydney, Australia, also leads the Lone Star Conference in rebounding.
The Rattlers will fight to keep their winning streak alive as they prepare for a pair of home contests against No. 6 Dallas Baptist University on Saturday.