FORT SMITH, Ark. – St. Edward's University Women's Basketball (3-8, 1-2) returned from the holiday break with a tough-fought 58-49 loss to Arkansas Fort Smith (8-3, 1-1) on New Year's Eve.
The tough contest was highlighted by 18 points and nine rebounds from
SHAKERA BARNES.
KHIANI CLARK scored 13 and grabbed nine boards.
HALEY JOLY also collected nine rebounds while
BAILEY HILL led on defense with three steals. Despite 34 points in the paint and a strong first half, 23 turnovers spelled doom for the Hilltoppers.
" I think we just got worn down a little bit. The style of play Fort Smith has forces you to play mentally and we had some lapses in focus and judgment," said head coach J.J. Riehl. "There were a couple crucial periods like the end of the third quarter where we couldn't close out. You can't have that if you want to come on the road in conference and steal a game on someone's home court."
St. Edward's scored first on a layup from Joly to take an early lead. However, a 10-2 run from the Lady Lions forced the Hilltoppers to play from behind. A three-pointer from
ABBY HOPPER, and a layup from Barnes pulled the visitors within two at the end of the first period.
Riehl's squad opened the second quarter with their own 8-0 scoring run to take a 19-13 lead. The defense for both teams took over as no points were scored for the next two minutes of play. A pair of free throws and a three-pointer for Fort Smith pulled the lady lions within one, but back-to-back baskets from
ESSENCE SAULS preserved the lead for St. Edward's going into the half.
Unfortunately for the Hilltoppers, Fort Smith came alive in the second half and used a 10-0 run in the third, and a 6-2 run in the fourth to clinch the win. St. Edward's outrebounded the Lady Lions, but were unable to overcome its turnover woes.
The Hilltopper women continue their Heartland-Conference road swing on Saturday with a contest against Rogers State starting at 1 p.m. in Claremore, Oklahoma. Live stats and video for the game will be available at GoHilltoppers.com, and fans can follow the team on Twitter and Facebook by searching St. Edward's University Women's Basketball.
| Heartland Conference Standings |
| Team | HC | OVERALL |
| Lubbock Christian | 2-0 | 10-0 |
| Rogers State* | 2-0 | 7-2 |
| Oklahoma Christian | 1-0 | 4-7 |
| Newman | 1-1 | 7-3 |
| St. Mary's | 1-1 | 7-3 |
| TAMU-International | 1-1 | 4-6 |
| UA Forth Smith | 1-1 | 8-3 |
| St. Edward's | 1-2 | 3-8 |
| UT-Permian Basin | 0-2 | 4-7 |
| Panhandle State | 0-2 | 1-9 |
| *-Not Eligble for Postseason Play | | |
| | |
| Thursday, Dec. 31 | | |
| UA Fort Smith def. St. Edward's, 58-49 |
| Rogers State def. UT-Permian Basin 66-53 |
| Panhandle State at Lubbock Christian |
| St. Mary's at Newman |
| TAMU-International at Oklahoma Christian |
| | |
| Saturday, Jan. 2 | | |
| St. Edward's at Rogers State | | 1:00 PM |
| Panhandle State at Rockhurst | 1:00 PM |
| TAMU-International at Newman | | 1:00 PM |
| St. Mary's at Oklahoma Christian | 1:00 PM |
| UT-Permian Basin at UA Fort Smith | 1:00 PM |
