Box Score The Basics
-Score: St. Edward's 75, UA-Fort Smith 65
-Records: St. Edward's 13-12 (6-5 HC), UA-Fort Smith 7-18 (3-9 HC)
-Location: Austin, Texas (Recreation and Convocation Center)
 
How it happened
-The Hilltoppers opened the game up with hot shooting that led to a 16-10 lead during the first five minutes of action. St. Edward's got buckets from downtown by DAWN KIEL, KELSEE BARR, and STEPHANIE DEKKERS during this run.
-The hot shooting continued for St. Edward's as they opened up a 19-point lead with just over 9:30 minutes remaining in the half. The Hilltoppers led 31-12.
-CASEY RILEY connected on a jumper from just inside the three-point line that extended the Hilltopper led to 23 points.
-St. Edward's dominated the first half play and went into the break leading 50-30.
-MONICA JAMES scored a lay-up that stopped an 11-4 Lion run that started the second half.
-The Hilltoppers responded with an 11-2 run of their own and pushed their lead to 22-points at the 10:05 mark of the second half.
-St. Edward's struggled from the field and the Lions took advantage cutting the once insurmountable Hilltopper lead to just seven points. ERIKA ROUSCULP knocked down some huge free throws down the stretch that secured the win for St. Edward's
 
Beyond the Box Score
-ERIKA ROUSCULP recorded her seventh double-double for the season. She scored 12 points and hauled in 12 rebounds.
-With a win on Saturday, the Hilltoppers would enter the Heartland Conference tournament as the number three seed and face I-35 rival St. Mary's in Odessa. A loss could result in a “play in game” for the fourth and final spot in the tournament.
-This is the second consecutive game where the Hilltoppers have had four players score in double-digits. Both games have resulted in wins for St. Edward's
 
In the Huddle
Head Coach J.J. Riehl on her overall thoughts for the game:
- “I was really pleased with our intangibles tonight. We have really focused on staying in the moment and playing with the “Three E's” which is energy, effort, and enthusiasm… We did those things for the most part tonight and we came out on top.”
 
On numerous contributions:
- “We had a lot of people that gave us big performances tonight. Kelsee, Stephanie, and Dawn really paced us early from the outside and knocked down big shots that resulted in early confidence. Erika was huge with another double-double off the bench. Her performance was great against the UAFS front line.”
 
Looking to Saturday's matchup:
- “Now the attention turns to Newman and its another big game for us. Win and we are the number three seed in the conference tournament and we would have closed out conference play the way it began, with wins!”
 
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                                                  6-5      13-12
Newman                                                         5-6      10-15
Texas A&M International                             5-6      10-15
UA Fort Smith                                                3-9      7-18
Oklahoma Panhandle State                       1-11    4-22
Oklahoma Christian University                  0-0      15-11
McMurry                                                         0-0      11-14
 
Up Next
The Hilltoppers return home on Saturday for a matchup against the Jets of Newman. The Hilltoppers will be honoring their three seniors as they play their final home game in a St. Edward's uniform. Tip-off is set for 2:00 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.