AUSTIN, Texas – The St. Edward's Women's Basketball Team displayed a noble effort Thursday night at the Recreation and Convocation Center; however, lost the contest to St. Mary's, 62-57, in the Battle of the Saints.
 
St. Edward's (13-8, 7-6 HC) got off to a tenacious start defensively, holding St. Mary's (13-9, 7-7 HC) to a mere seven points in the opening six minutes; however, they also got off to a slow start offensively, scoring just two points.
 
As the game settled in, the Hilltoppers looked more and more comfortable, as they clawed their way back to a 23-22 advantage after a three-point basket from LEXI FATHEREE with 3:41 remaining in the first half.
 
Over the remainder of the half, St. Edward's would showcase a great deal of fight and a sense of urgency in its movements, keeping the score fairly even. However, at the half, the Rattlers would lead the Hilltoppers, 31-29.
 
St. Mary's would strike first in the second half, starting on an 11-4 run, and granting itself an eight-point lead. St. Edward's, determined to make another run, would find its way back, cutting the lead to five with 11:30 to play.
 
St. Mary's would increase the lead to 10 once more with 5:12 to play; and yet again the Hilltoppers would dig their way back, cutting the lead to three with 35 seconds to play.
 
After a turnover from the Rattlers, St. Edward's was prime to cut the lead to one, or tie the game with 34 seconds left. Unfortunately, the Hilltoppers would fail to do so, as St. Mary's would hold on for the 62-57 victory.
 
Pleased with her team's ambition on the night, head coach J.J. Riehl said, "I was really proud of how we regrouped from last week and fought tonight. We came together as a team and responded to every second of adversity that we faced. I am really proud of the ladies for that."
 
"In the end they figured out how to score a couple extra baskets and that was the difference. We needed a couple more rebounds and we didn't get them," Riehl stated.
 
St. Edward's will be back in action Saturday afternoon, as they take on Texas A&M-International in a pivotal game at the Recreation and Convocation Center. Tipoff is set for 1 p.m. and live coverage can be found on the St. Edward's Athletic Website.

                                             Heartland           Overall
Team (Preseason)                 W-L                   W-L
UA Fort Smith (7)                   11-3                   13-8
St. Edward's (4)                       7-6                    13-8
St. Mary's (2)                            7-7                    13-9
TAMU-International (3)          7-7                   11-11
UT-Permian Basin (8)             6-7                    12-9
Newman (5)                            4-10                   7-15
Panhandle State (10)             1-12                   3-20
Lubbock Christian* (1)          12-1                   18-5
Oklahoma Christian* (6)         7-7                   10-12
Rogers State* (9)                     6-8                    8-14
* - Not eligible for HC Tournament due to NCAA Transition Year.
 
SCHEDULE/RESULTS
February 12
OC 60, NU 40
RSU 77, OPSU 53
STMU 62, SEU 57
LCU 60, UAFS 57
TAMIU 66, UTPB 64
 
February 14
TAMIU at SEU                              1:00 PM
STMU at UTPB                             1:00 PM
LCU at RSU                                   1:00 PM
OPSU at UAFS                              1:00 PM