Women's Basketball | 11/15/2015 11:04:00 PM

Box Score

SAN MARCOS, Texas – Sunday had all of the makings of an upset, as St. Edward's had battled its way to a 14-point lead through three quarters against NCAA Division I Texas State. The Bobcats had other plans as the home team rebounded to defeat the Hilltoppers, 52-44, in exhibition play at Strahan Coliseum.
 
St. Edward's started the game off with a quick 4-0 run. SHAKERA BARNES and LEXI FATHEREE both had buckets for the Hilltoppers. Barnes and Fatheree both added another bucket to increase the St. Edward's lead to 8-2, with 2:56 left in the first quarter. 
 
The Hilltoppers used a suffocating defense to take an 8-5 lead at the end of the first quarter. They would force Texas State into eight turnovers and 2-of-11 shooting.
 
In the second quarter, both teams would trade baskets, but the Hilltoppers would keep the lead going into the break, 20-18. The St. Edward's defense would smother the Bobcats into 12 first-half turnovers and 25 percent shooting.
 
In the third quarter, the Hilltoppers scored the first six points of the period. KHIANI CLARK had the hot hand with two buckets during the stretch. Clark had two more buckets during the next four minutes as the Hilltoppers stretched its lead to 33-20, with 4:18 remaining in the quarter. A layup by HALEY JOLY with 44 seconds left put the Hilltoppers in front, 38-24 at the end of the third quarter.
 
The fourth quarter started with 10-straight points by the Bobcats to cut the lead to four points within the first three minutes of action. Kaitlin Walla was key, as she nailed two three-pointers and a layup to lead the comeback.
 
With 5:58 remaining in the game, Barnes hit another driving layup to push the lead to six points, but Texas State responded with 12-straight points over the next four-plus minutes to take its own six-point lead with 1:13 remaining. Layups by Barnes and ESSENCE SAULS pushed the Hilltoppers closer, but the Bobcats went 6-for-6 from the charity stripe to seal the game.
 
Barnes led the Hilltoppers with a game-high 18 points on 8-of-15 shooting. Clark narrowly missed a double-double with 10 points and eight rebounds, while Joly registered 12 rebounds off of the bench.
 
St. Edward's held Texas State to 30 percent shooting and outrebounded the Bobcats, 43-41
 
St. Edward's will get back to regular season play Wednesday when they host West Texas A&M. Tip-off is set for 6 p.m. at the Recreation and Convocation Center. Live video and stats will be available on the Hilltopper Athletic Website.