HighlightsAUSTIN, Texas – The St. Edward's Women's Basketball Team dropped its first Heartland Conference matchup, Thursday night at the Recreation and Convocation Center, as Texas-Permian Basin outlasted the Hilltoppers, 79-74.
Both teams got off to a solid start offensively, as they traded baskets in a back-and-forth affair. However, two players stood out early in the game. It was
MILEKA LOYDRAKE who stole the show early, recording 15 first half points of 5-of-8 shooting for the Hilltoppers. Meanwhile, Shaquiri Graham tallied 13 points on 6-of-9 shooting for the Falcons.
Although, the major play of the half came midway through the period when Hilltopper leader,
KATHLEEN BRISBANE exited with an injury. Nonetheless, the Hilltoppers would hold a 41-35 lead at the break.
St. Edward's (10-3, 4-1 HC) would open up the second half with two free throws from
LEXI FATHEREE to put the Hilltoppers up eight. With 12:03 left in the contest, the Hilltoppers would still hold its eight-point advantage.
Permian Basin (10-3, 4-1 HC) would manage to fight its way back and tie the game with 4:33 left to play. Over the last four minutes, the Falcons would take advantage of a depleted Hilltopper interior and hand St. Edward's its first home loss of the season.
"I thought the last three minutes and thirty seconds were critical and we didn't make anything happen. Meanwhile, Permian Basin did. We were not tough enough on the boards and that was the difference in the game," head coach J.J. Riehl said of her team's first conference loss.
Loydrake would finish with a career-high 27 points for the Hilltoppers; however, it was Graham who recorded 31 points on the night to lead all scorers.
The Hilltoppers will look to bounce back Thursday when they travel to Laredo to take on Texas A&M-International. Tipoff is set for 5:30 p.m. Live Coverage will be available through the Dustdevil Athletic Website.
