Box Score The Basics
-Score: St. Edward's 70, Panhandle State 54
-Records: St. Edward's 12-12 (5-5 HC), Panhandle State 4-21 (1-11 HC)
-Location: Goodwell, Okla. (Oscar Williams Field House)
 
How it happened
-The Hilltoppers got off to a fast start opening the game up on a 9-0 run. St. Edward's held Panhandle State scoreless until the 15:53 mark of the first half.
-The Hilltoppers proceeded to open a 15-point lead behind the hot shooting from St. Edwards.
-The Aggies took advantage of several miscues by the Hilltoppers and cut the double-digit deficit to just six points at the half 30-24.
­- VALENCIA WHITE scored six of her 17 points during the 22-4 run by the Hilltoppers to open the second half of play. St. Edward's led 52-28 with 11:30 remaining in the game.
-The Aggies slowly chipped away at the lead, but the damage was done as St. Edward's cruised to a 70-54 win.
-White finished with 17 points and eight rebounds. SARAH KENDRICK contributed 16 points and eight rebounds. STEPHANIE DEKKERS and DAWN KIEL chipped in with 14 and 10 points respectively.
 
Beyond the Box Score
-VALENCIA WHITE statistically had her best week as a Hilltopper averaging 14.5 points and hauling in eight rebounds in each of the last two contests.
-St. Edward's currently controls its fate for the Heartland Conference postseason tournament. With wins in the final two games, the Hilltoppers would travel to Odessa as the three-seed in the four-team tournament.
-The Hilltopper defense put the Aggie offense on lockdown allowing them to shoot only 22.4% from the field. That average is the lowest that St. Edward's has allowed any opponent to shoot on the season.
-St. Edward's offense was also clicking on all cylinders. The Hilltoppers made 50% of their shots from the field, which is the highest on the season. They also shot 42.9% from downtown, which is the second best shooting performance from outside the arc all season.
 
In the Huddle
Head Coach J.J. Riehl on her overall thoughts for the game:
-“I was pleased with the sense of urgency we played with today. It was a must win game and we definitely played that way. We have talked in length about having a sense of urgency and staying in the moment and we did a great job of both. Our defense really spurred us today as we did a great job of forcing them to shoot shots outside of their offense.”
 
On the play of VALENCIA WHITE:
-“V was great today; her energy on both ends of the floor and on the glass set the tone from the opening tip.  She really sparked us in the second half, getting out in the open floor and converting on the break. Her versatility on the defensive end of the floor was key for us in disrupting their offensive rhythm.”
 
2012-13 Heartland Conference Women's Basketball Standings
Texas-Permian Basin                                    11-1    19-5
St. Mary's                                                       9-2      18-6
St. Edward's                                                 5-5      12-12
Newman                                                         5-6      10-14
Texas A&M International                             5-6      10-15
UA Fort Smith                                                3-8      7-17
Oklahoma Panhandle State                         1-11    4-21
Oklahoma Christian University                   0-0      14-10
McMurry                                                        0-0      10-13
 
Up Next
The Hilltoppers return home on Thursday for a matchup against the Lions of Arkansas-Fort Smith. Tip-off is set for 5:30 p.m. at the Recreation and Convocation Center on the St. Edward's campus. Live video and stats will be available through the Hilltopper website.