GOODWELL, Okla. – With an AIMEE DURBIDGE layup with four seconds remaining, the St. Edward's Women's Basketball survived against a pesky Oklahoma Panhandle State squad, 68-67, and held on to the second seed in the Heartland Conference Saturday afternoon at Williams Fieldhouse.
 
Panhandle State (3-23, 1-15 HC) opened the game with a quick 6-0 run in the game's first two minutes. A three-pointer by Jaclyn Becker and a traditional three-point play from Kiera Waters helped the Aggies to the early lead.
 
St. Edward's (15-9, 9-7 HC) had enough, as the road team would score the next 21 points. The Hilltoppers first went down low with KATHLEEN BRISBANE and KHIANI CLARK tallying four points each. They would cap off the run with three makes from downtown to take a 15-point advantage with 12:10 remaining in the first half.
 
The Hilltopper lead would stay in double digits the majority of the first half, with St. Edward's taking a 35-25 lead at the break.
 
In the second half, Panhandle State cut the lead to seven, 48-41, with 12:21 left in the contest. However, back-to-back treys from JAIMIE KADLECEK and KATY BOREN pushed the lead back to double digits at 13 points.
 
The Aggies would not go away as the home team rallied with a 19-5 run over the next nine minutes to take their first lead since early in the first half, 60-59, with 3:35 remaining.
 
The lead would change hands seven times in the final three minutes with two free throws by Becker giving Panhandle State a one-point lead with 35 ticks remaining.
 
With the shot clock running down, Durbidge picked up a loose ball and got her layup to go with five seconds left. Ketyra Saunders' jumper at the buzzer was off the mark as the Hilltoppers survived.
 
"We are extremely fortunate to escape today with a win," head coach J.J. Riehl said. "We didn't bring our 'A Game' mentally and emotionally, and it almost cost us. Hopefully we learn from this experience."
 
Durbidge registered her second double-double of the season with 10 points and 10 rebounds. Brisbane had a great all-around game with 11 points, seven rebounds and team-high four assists. LEXI FATHEREE registered 10 points, while Clark added nine points and a team-high 11 rebounds off of the bench.
 
Riehl had this to say about Durbidge after the game: "Aimee did what she does so well, she kept moving gathered the loose ball and got the shot up before the shot clock expired."
 
The win clinched a spot for the Hilltoppers in the Heartland Conference Tournament, and they are currently the number two seed. They are one game ahead of both St. Mary's and UT-Permian Basin with two games to play.
 
The Hilltoppers will return home for their final two games of the regular season. They will open against Oklahoma Christian on Thursday with tip-off set for 5:30 p.m. at the Recreation and Convocation Center. Live video and stats will be available on the Hilltopper Athletic Website.
 
                                             Heartland           Overall
Team (Preseason)                 W-L                   W-L
UA Fort Smith (7)                   14-3                   16-8
St. Edward's (4)                       9-7                    15-9
UT-Permian Basin (8)             8-8                   14-10
St. Mary's (2)                            8-8                   14-10
TAMU-International (3)          7-9                   11-13
Newman (5)                            5-11                   8-16
Panhandle State (10)             1-15                   3-23
Lubbock Christian* (1)          15-1                   21-5
Oklahoma Christian* (6)         8-8                   11-13
Rogers State* (9)                    6-11                   8-17
* - Not eligible for HC Tournament due to NCAA Transition Year.
 
SCHEDULE/RESULTS
February 21
LCU 88, UTPB 53
UAFS 58, OC 50
SEU 68, OPSU 67
NU 55, RSU 41
 
February 26
OPSU at TAMIU                           5:30 PM
NU at UTPB                                  5:30 PM
OC at SEU                                     5:30 PM
Ecclesia College at UAFS             5:30 PM
LCU at STMU                               6:00 PM
 
February 28
NU at SEU                                    1:00 PM
OPSU at STMU                             1:00 PM
LCU at TAMIU                              1:00 PM
UAFS at RSU                                 1:00 PM
OC at UTPB                                  1:00 PM