AUSTIN, Texas – St. Edward's University Women's Basketball (3-7, 1-1) lost to Oklahoma Christian (4-7, 1-0), 83-76, despite 20 points apiece from
BAILEY HILL and
SHAKERA BARNES.
The duo's scoring output marks a season high for both individuals. Barnes also added seven assists and four rebounds while Hill grabbed three boards, an assist, and a steal.
KHIANI CLARK, who entered the weekend ranked seventh in the country for offensive rebounds, continued her streak of impressive play with her fourth double-double of the season. The Round Rock, Texas native scored 15 points and grabbed 12 boards.
KAYLA GOEBEL stood out on defense with two blocks and a steal.
"I don't really know how the game was this close. There are some positives to take away, but on the flip side it's about us finding consistency," said head coach J.J. Riehl. "When you have as many turnovers as we had, and you give them the second-chance opportunities we gave them you're not going to win."
The first quarter proved to be the most critical as a sluggish start for the Hilltoppers produced just four points. However, Coach Riehl's squad bounced back in the second quarter with 17 points to make it 27-21 at the half. Clark went to the locker room with five first-half rebounds, but no baskets.
In the third, Clark came out firing and scored 10 of her 15 points to help put St. Edward's up by three. Unfortunately for the Toppers, Oklahoma Christian heated up in the final quarter, scoring 34 points to seal the win.
Coach Riehl and her team take a break for the holidays before traveling to Fort Smith, Arkansas on New Year's Eve to continue Heartland Conference play against the Lions. Tipoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. in the Stubblefield Center. Live video and stats can be found at GoHilltoppers.com. Fans can also follow St. Edward's Athletics on social media by searching @Topperpride.
| Heartland Conference Standings |
| Team | HC | OVERALL |
| Lubbock Christian | 2-0 | 10-0 |
| Rogers State* | 1-0 | 6-2 |
| Oklahoma Christian | 1-0 | 4-7 |
| St. Edward's | 1-1 | 3-7 |
| Newman | 1-1 | 7-3 |
| St, Mary's | 1-1 | 7-3 |
| TAMU-International | 1-1 | 4-6 |
| UA Forth Smith | 0-1 | 7-3 |
| UT-Permian Basin | 0-1 | 4-6 |
| Panhandle State | 0-2 | 1-9 |
| *-Not Eligble for Postseason Play | | |
| | |
| Saturday, Dec. 19 | | |
| Oklahoma Christian def. St. Edward's, 83-76 |
| Newman def. UT-Permian Basin, 69-63 |
| UA Fort Smith def. Ouachita Baptist, 70-51 |
| Lubbock Christian def. St. Mary' 77-51 |
| TAMU-International def. Panhandle State, 73-58 |
| | |
| Thursday, Dec. 31 | | |
| St. Edward's at UA Fort Smith | | 1:00 PM |
| Panhandle State at Lubbock Christian | 3:30 PM |
| St. Mary's at Newman | | 5:30 PM |
| UT-Permian Basin at Rogers State | 5:30 PM |
| TAMU-International at Oklahoma Christian | 5:30 PM |
