SAN ANTONIO, Texas – The St. Edward's Women's Basketball team fell to St. Mary's Saturday afternoon, surrendering first place in the conference, 63-44.
 
St. Edward's (11-4, 5-2 HC) got off to a convincing start, forcing three turnovers and taking a 6-0 advantage. Seven minutes later the score was tied and the Hilltoppers would never find the lead in its favor again.
 
The remainder of the first half was fairly even, as the teams traded baskets for the majority. It was the Rattlers, however, who would hold a 28-24 halftime lead. MILEKA LOYDRAKE ended the period, leading all scorers with 14 points.
 
As the second half began, the Hilltoppers struggled against St. Mary's (11-5, 5-3 HC), as the home team coasted to victory in the first of two "Battle of the Saints" matchups.
 
Opening the second half, St. Mary's got two three-pointers and a jumper to up its lead to 12 points in the first two minutes of action. The Rattlers continued to pressure St. Edward's and built a 21-point lead with three minutes to play.
 
Morgan Pullins led all scorers with 20 points and grab 15 rebounds. Loydrake finished with 16 points for St. Edward's.
 
"Obviously today was not the outcome we wanted. I think you have to give St. Mary's a lot of credit for how they played. They showed a sense of urgency that we've yet to face and we did not respond," head coach J.J. Riehl said of her team's performance this afternoon.
 
"We have got to respond with a good week of preparation going into our final home series of the first round," Riehl said.
 
The Hilltoppers will look to respond Thursday when they take on Oklahoma Panhandle State at the Recreation and Convocation Center. Tipoff is set for 5:30 p.m. Live coverage will be available via the St. Edward's Athletic Website.
 
                                             Heartland           Overall
Team (Preseason)                 W-L                   W-L
Lubbock Christian* (1)             5-1                    11-5
St. Edward's (4)                       5-2                    11-4
UA Fort Smith (7)                     5-2                     7-7
St. Mary's (2)                            5-3                    11-5
UT-Permian Basin (8)               4-3                    10-5
TAMU-International (3)             4-4                     8-8
Rogers State* (9)                      3-4                    5-10
Newman (5)                              2-5                    5-10
Oklahoma Christian* (6)           2-5                    5-10
Panhandle State (10)                0-6                    2-14
* - Not eligible for HC Tournament due to NCAA Transition Year.
 
SCHEDULE/RESULTS
January 17
LCU 75, UAFS 63
STMU 63, SEU 44
RSU 85, OPSU 64
TAMIU 72, UTPB 68
 
January 19
LCU at OPSU                                5:30 PM
 
January 22
OPSU at SEU                                5:30 PM
TAMIU at STMU                          5:30 PM
NU at UAFS                                  5:30 PM
OC at RSU                                     5:30 PM
LCU at UTPB                                5:30 PM
 
January 24
OPSU at UTPB                             1:00 PM
NU at RSU                                    1:00 PM
LCU at SEU                                   1:00 PM
OC at UAFS                                   1:00 PM