AUSTIN, Texas – Junior forward KHIANI CLARK scored a career-high 23 points to go along with her 17 rebounds to lead St. Edward's to a 78-69 victory over cross-town rival Huston-Tillotson Saturday afternoon at the Recreation and Convocation Center.
 
Clark shot 9-of-12 from the floor and 5-for-6 from the free-throw line for her career-high 23 points. Ten of her 17 rebounds came on the offensive end. Three other Hilltoppers scored in double figures led by 16 points from BAILEY HILL. MILEKA LOYDRAKE tallied 14 points off of the bench while SHAKERA BARNES barely missed a triple-double with 11 points, nine rebounds and eight assists.
 
St. Edward's (2-1) opened the game on a 9-0 run, as the defense was solid. The Hilltoppers forced a turnover and the Lady Rams missed their first two shots.
 
Huston-Tillotson (2-1) finally got on the board after five minutes of action, but 11-straight points by the Hilltoppers advanced the lead to 20-2. A late three-pointer by Samira Rodriguez put the score at 20-5, in favor of the home team after one quarter.
 
In the second quarter, Ariel Callis registered 11 points to match the Hilltoppers shot-for-shot. Six points by Clark and five more from Hill would give St. Edward's a 37-26 advantage at the break. Clark had the last two buckets to lead the Hilltoppers.
 
The second half saw the Lady Rams fight back. They would outscore the Hilltoppers, 23-20, and cut the lead to eight points, 57-49. Deandra DaJean keyed the run for Huston-Tillotson with 12 points on 3-of-4 shooting. She also tallied 6-of-7 from the free-throw line. The Lady Rams were also helped by a technical foul called on St. Edward's for an improper substitution.
 
In the fourth quarter, the St. Edward's lead would grow to double digits after a layup by Clark with 9:34 remaining. Over the next two minutes, Huston-Tillotson embarked upon an 8-0 run to cut the lead to 61-59, with 7:12 left in the contest.
 
Buckets by Loydrake and CARISSA DIAZ, and a free throw by Clark, quickly pushed the lead to seven with just over five minutes remaining.
 
St. Edward's would keep the lead above five the rest of the way. Clark held off the Lady Rams with eight points down the stretch.
 
St. Edward's will be back in action Tuesday when they host Texas A&M-Kingsville. Tip-off is set for 5:30 p.m. at the Recreation and Convocation Center. Live video and stats will be available on the Hilltopper Athletic Website.