AUSTIN, Texas – The St. Edward's Women's Basketball team dropped a 68-61 decision to Texas A&M-Kingsville Tuesday evening at the Recreation and Convocation Center. The Javelinas used clutch free-throw shooting in the fourth quarter to pull away with the win, despite 55 percent shooting by the home team.
 
KHIANI CLARK had another monster game for St. Edward's, registering 18 points on 7-of-8 shooting to go along with her 11 rebounds. It was the junior's second-straight double-double. SHAKERA BARNES tallied 18 points, while MILEKA LOYDRAKE also reached double figures off of the bench with 13.
 
Texas A&M-Kingsville (4-1) outshot the Hilltoppers in the opening quarter, firing at a 46.7 percent clip, but St. Edward's forced the Javelinas into six turnovers to keep the game close, 14-11. In the second quarter, Kyra Bauer came off of the bench to score eight points to extend the lead for the visitors at the break, 32-27.
 
Out of the break, St. Edward's look to score from close in. The Hilltoppers outscored the Javelinas, 12-2 in the paint, as Barnes notched six points and Clark added five. Clark's final bucket gave St. Edward's a brief lead, 43-42, with 30 seconds remaining. Two free throws by Joslyn Smith gave TAMU-Kingsville a one-point advantage going into the final quarter.
 
In the fourth quarter, the lead would change hands four times during the first four minutes of action. Down 49-48, with 6:07 on the clock, the Javelinas scored the next six points to take a 56-49 lead with 3:34 remaining. Five points by TaSheena Moore and 5-of-5 from the charity stripe sealed the win for TAMU-Kingsville.
 
"Down the stretch, they outplayed us," head coach J.J. Riehl said. "I thought they wanted it more. We were going through the motions and had no real sense of urgency. We have to do better if we want to be successful."
 
Equal in just about every category, bench scoring was the difference, as the Javelinas registered 34 points from their substitutes.
 
St. Edward's will be back in action Friday when they travel to take on Merrimack College. This is part of a two-game road trip to the Northeast for the Hilltoppers. Tip-off for Friday's contest with the Warriors is set for 12:00 p.m. CST. Live video and stats will be available on the Warrior Athletic Website. St. Edward's will also take on Southern Connecticut State Saturday at Noon.