KINGSVILLE, Texas – The St. Edward's women's basketball team looked to be at its best Saturday night as they rolled past Texas A&M-Kingsville, 68-44, and earning its sixth win of the season.
 
St. Edward's (6-2), who suffered a disappointing loss to Angelo State just a week prior, responded with high energy from the tip. The Hilltoppers jumped out to an early 11-2 lead over Texas A&M-Kingsville (0-7). Leading the early run was senior forward KATHLEEN BRISBANE who recorded four points, a steal, and an assist in the process.
 
Over the remainder of the half the Hilltoppers would increase their lead to as many as 22. A balanced attack and stifling defense over the period would lift St. Edward's to a 39-18 halftime lead.
 
At halftime, Brisbane tallied eight points, five rebounds, two assists, and two steals. Teammate and freshman reserve, ESSENCE SAULS provided a spark off the bench, contributing eight first-half points.
 
As the second half began, Texas A&M-Kingsville would be strong-minded to get back into the game. The Javelinas opened the second-half on a 7-0 run of its own. The Hilltoppers were held scoreless for the first five minutes of the half.
 
For the remainder, the Hilltoppers would dominate the tempo and pace of the game.  Nine different Hilltoppers would find their way into the scorebook and lead St. Edward's to a convincing 68-44 victory.
 
Brisbane would end the game with 12 points, eight rebounds, two assists, and three steals.
 
When asked about her performance and leadership in tonight's game, Brisbane said, "It was a very good team win. As a senior leader, I knew I had to come out aggressive tonight, and I knew the importance of getting a win and heading into conference, 6-2. Our confidence level definitely grew after tonight's game and we will carry it into the conference road trip next week."
 
Freshman teammate SYDNEY THOMAS would knock down four treys of her own to tie Brisbane with a game-high 12 points.
 
When asked of her team's response to last week's loss, head coach J.J. Riehl said, "I'm very pleased with how we responded. The coaching staff really got after our players and challenged them on the floor this week. We had great preparation and came out with a clear and focused gameplan tonight."
 
After watching her team move the ball and collect 17 assists, Riehl stated, "We played a very aggressive, yet poised game tonight and shared the ball really well. We were not careless with the ball and managed to find the open man."
 
St. Edward's will look to carry tonight's momentum into next week as they open up Heartland Conference play against Newman Thursday evening at Fugate Gymnasium. Tipoff is set for 5:30 p.m. and live coverage will be available though the Jet Athletic Website.