FORT SMITH, Ark. – The St. Edward's Women's Basketball Team fell into an early hole and never found its way out, as they fell to Arkansas Fort Smith, 89-72, Saturday afternoon at the Stubblefield Arena.
 
Over the first 4:19 of play, St. Edward's (13-6, 7-4 HC) turned the ball over five times and found itself down, 10-2. St. Edward's would cut the deficit to four three times during the first half; however, that is as close as they would get, as the halftime score stood, 37-29.
 
At the break, MILEKA LOYDRAKE led all scorers with 10 points, going 4-for-8 from the field.
 
As the second half began, St. Edward's would produce another slow start. Fort Smith (11-7, 9-2 HC) would go on a 15-2 outburst to start the period, as the Hilltoppers fell into a 23-point disadvantage.
 
Over the remainder of the game, St. Edward's would do its best to find its way back; however, 11 points would be as close as they came.
 
The Lions would cruise to an 89-72 victory, as they Hilltoppers lost its fourth conference matchup.
 
Lion center, Angi Ramey would lead all performers with 26 points and 15 rebounds. Hilltoppers, LEXI FATHEREE and MILEKA LOYDRAKE would both contribute solid performances as they recorded 21 points on 9-of-17 shooting.
 
"To win games, especially road games, you have to win the first four and last four minutes of each half. We did not do that. We failed to start with the energy that was necessary to beat Fort Smith on its own court. Today was their day from the opening tip," head coach J.J. Riehl said of her team's disappointing afternoon.
 
St. Edward's will look to find its winning form again on Saturday, as they travel to Odessa, Texas to square off against UT-Permian Basin. Tip off is set for 1 p.m. and live coverage will be available on the Falcon Athletic Website.
 
                                             Heartland           Overall
Team (Preseason)                 W-L                   W-L
Lubbock Christian* (1)           9-1                    15-5
UA Fort Smith (7)                    9-2                    11-7
St. Edward's (4)                       7-4                    13-6
St. Mary's (2)                            6-5                    12-7
UT-Permian Basin (8)             5-6                    11-8
TAMU-International (3)          5-6                    9-10
Oklahoma Christian* (6)         5-6                    8-11
Newman (5)                             4-7                    7-12
Rogers State* (9)                     4-7                    6-13
Panhandle State (10)             0-10                   2-18
* - Not eligible for HC Tournament due to NCAA Transition Year.
 
SCHEDULE/RESULTS
January 31
RSU 66, UTPB 64
OC 60, TAMIU 51
UAFS 89, SEU 72
NU 61, STMU 45
 
February 5
RSU at STMU                               5:30 PM
NU at OPSU                                  5:30 PM
UAFS at TAMIU                            5:30 PM
OC at LCU                                     5:30 PM
 
February 7
SEU at UTPB                                1:00 PM
OC at OPSU                                  1:00 PM
NU at LCU                                    1:00 PM
RSU at TAMIU                              1:00 PM
UAFS at STMU                             1:00 PM