AUSTIN, Texas – St. Edward's guard
ESSENCE SAULS came off the bench to score eight of her 10 points in the fourth quarter to lead the Hilltoppers to a 63-55 comeback win over Newman. The matchup was the Heartland Conference opener for both teams.
Trailing by five points going into the final quarter, St. Edward's (3-6, 1-0 HC) turned up the intensity. The Hilltoppers shot 62 percent from the field after only hitting on 37 percent of their shots from the floor in the first three quarters combined. They also proved their worth on the defensive end, forcing the Newman (6-3, 0-1 HC) into seven turnovers in the final frame.
SHAKERA BARNES started the fourth quarter off with back-to-back buckets for St. Edward's to pull within one point. Sauls gave the Hilltoppers their first lead since the first half on a bucket with 8:06 remaining in the game. Both teams would hold steady and were even, 50-50, with 2:56 left in the contest. St. Edward's took control of the game from there.
Sauls hit a shot to jumpstart the Hilltoppers on a 7-0 run over the next minute-plus of action.
ABBY HOPPER drained a three and
KHIANI CLARK finished it off with a jumper with 1:03 left.
The Hilltoppers would clinch the game from the free-throw line as they went 6-of-8 from the charity stripe in the final minute.
Barnes led the Hilltoppers with 17 points, which was also a game-high. She also finished with six assists. Clark ended the night with her third double-double of the year, collecting 13 points and 11 rebounds. Sauls led the charge off of the bench as she went 4-of-5 from the field.
Both teams shot 43 percent from the field, but St. Edward's won the game by converting 21 points off of turnovers and tallying 13 second-chance points.
St. Edward's will be back in action Saturday when they host Oklahoma Christian. Tip-off is set for 1:00 p.m. at the Recreation and Convocation Center. Live video and stats will be available on the Hilltopper Athletic Website.
| Heartland Conference Standings |
| Team | HC | OVERALL |
| St. Edward's | 1-0 | 3-6 |
| Lubbock Christian | 1-0 | 9-0 |
| Rogers State* | 1-0 | 6-2 |
| St. Mary's | 1-0 | 7-2 |
| UT-Permian Basin | 0-0 | 4-5 |
| Oklahoma Christian | 0-0 | 3-7 |
| Newman | 0-1 | 6-3 |
| UA Fort Smith | 0-1 | 6-3 |
| TAMU-International | 0-1 | 3-6 |
| Panhandle State | 0-1 | 1-8 |
| *-Not Eligble for Postseason Play | | |
| | |
| Thursday, Dec. 17 | | |
| St. Edward's def. Newman, 63-55 |
| St. Mary's def. Panhandle State, 90-65 |
| Lubbock Christian def. TAMU-International, 75-55 |
| Rogers State def. UA Fort Smith, 66-64 |
| | |
| Saturday, Dec. 19 | | |
| Oklahoma Christian at St. Edward's | 1:00 PM |
| UA Fort Smith at Ouachita Baptist | 1:00 PM |
| Panhandle State at TAMU-International | 1:00 PM |
| Lubbock Christian at St. Mary's | 1:00 PM |
| Newman at UT-Permian Basin | 5:30 PM |
