LAREDO, Texas – The St. Edward's Women's Basketball Team rallied from a 12-point halftime deficit, Thursday evening, storming back to defeat Texas A&M-International, 57-54.
 
St. Edward's looked sluggish at the start. The Hilltoppers scored a mere five points over the first 10 minutes of the game; however, managed a 11-5 disadvantage with solid defense.
 
With 6:58 left in the first half, St. Edward's (11-3, 5-1 HC) would trail by 14; its largest deficit of the contest. At the break, Texas A&M-International (7-8, 3-4 HC) would lead the Hilltoppers 30-18.
 
Over the course of the first half, St. Edward's shot 21.4 percent from the field and went 1-of-6 from the three-point line.
 
At intermission, infuriated with her team, head coach JJ Riehl said, "I challenged the team to take ownership of the first half and hold themselves accountable. It had nothing to do with the X's and O's, but rather a team having pride in its performance."
 
From the beginning of the second half, the Hilltoppers displayed much more energy and determination. Freshman point guard, SYDNEY THOMAS would knock down a three to start the half for St. Edward's and quickly cut the lead to single digits.
 
Determined to find their way back in the game, the Hilltoppers would quickly cut the Dustdevil lead to four with 15:44 remaining. Two minutes later, the score would be tied 35-35. Four possessions later, the Hilltoppers would take a 38-37 lead behind a pair of free throws from JAIMIE KADLECEK.
 
With the score tied, and 2:08 left to play, Hilltopper KATHLEEN BRISBANE, who exited last week's game with an injury, scored her second basket to give St. Edward's a two-point lead. Next time down the floor, Brisbane would get fouled and make one of two free throws, putting her team up three. Following another defensive stop, AIMEE DURBIDGE would connect on a layup to put the Hilltoppers up five.
 
The Dustdevils would hurry down the floor and with 51 seconds left and drain a three pointer to cut the lead to two.
 
With no choice other than to foul, Brisbane would return to the free throw line where she would make one of two. As time ran down, Texas A&M-International would manage to get off a three pointer that would tie the game; however, fell short as the Hilltoppers held on for the victory.
 
Leading the comeback and poising her team, was senior leader, AIMEE DURBIDGE. The lefty guard would tie a season high with 11 points, pull down a team-high seven rebounds and also record two steals.
 
"We didn't get down on each other and played with much more energy in the second half. We completely changed our mentality and played our game," Durbidge said of her team's second half performance.

When asked about her individual play, Durbidge stated, "I knew that I had to step up today with the injuries present. I had much more confidence in myself and looked for offensive openings that I usually do not look for. I was simply more aggressive than usual."
 
After the game, Riehl said, "I'm really pleased with how our team handled the adversity of tonight's game. Aimee was great all around. She was all over the place and knocked down some really big shots. Aimee, along with our upperclassmen, showed tremendous leadership and really empowered their teammates."
 
St. Edward's will travel to rival, St. Mary's, Saturday afternoon, where these two teams will square off. Tip off is set for 1 p.m. and live coverage will be available through the Rattler Athletic Website.
 
When asked about the upcoming "Battle of the Saints", Durbidge said, "Our team knows the magnitude of the rivalry, and we are very excited to play them on their home court."
 
                                             Heartland           Overall
Team (Preseason)                 W-L                   W-L
St. Edward's (4)                       5-1                    11-3
UA Fort Smith (7)                    5-1                     7-6
Lubbock Christian* (1)           4-1                    10-5
UT-Permian Basin (8)             4-2                    10-4
St. Mary's (2)                            4-3                    10-5
TAMU-International (3)          3-4                     7-8
Rogers State* (9)                     2-4                    4-10
Newman (5)                             2-5                    5-10
Oklahoma Christian* (6)         2-5                    5-10
Panhandle State (10)              0-5                    2-13
 
SCHEDULE/RESULTS
January 15
LCU 81, RSU 63
STMU 72, UTPB 68
SEU 57, TAMIU 54
UAFS 97, OPSU 59
OC 60, NU 52
 
January 17
UAFS at LCU                                1:00 PM
SEU at STMU                               1:00 PM
RSU at OPSU                               1:00 PM
UTPB at TAMIU                            1:00 PM