AUSTIN, Texas – St. Edward's Women's Basketball dominated Rogers State from start to finish on Thursday night. The Hilltoppers trailed for less than three minutes on the way to a 63-51 win.
With the victory, St. Edward's avenges its one-point loss to the Hillcats from earlier this season, while improving to 7-11 overall and 5-5 in the conference. Rogers State falls to 10-7 and 5-5.
SHAKERA BARNES torched the visitors with 22 points, seven assists, six rebounds, and a steal, while
KHIANI CLARK produced a modest double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds.
ABBY HOPPER quietly collected nine points, and seven boards with
LEXI FATHEREE coming off the bench to score nine of her own. As a team, the Hilltoppers outrebounded the Hillcats, 41-29, and shot 44 percent from the floor.
"I thought it was three really good quarters, and we did all the things we talked about," said head coach J.J. Riehl. "We just didn't finish well, and so I feel a little bit disappointed. But a win is a win, and this is a huge win for us to start the second round of conference play. Defensively we were solid, and that was the difference."
Both squads played solid defense to start the game as neither team scored for the first minute and a half. A layup for the Hillcats broke the drought, but the lead was short lived. Clark and Barnes teamed up to scored eight quick points to keep Rogers State at bay.
The Hillcats struck back to tie the game at 10, and again at 12 with another brief lead at 15-14. However
LEXI FATHEREE tickled the twine for three, and with more than two minutes to play in the first period, St. Edward's took the lead for good. They closed the quarter with an 8-0 run.
Coach Riehl's team did not look back, holding the visitors to five points in the second quarter, while scoring 15 of their own. The Hilltoppers took a 17-point lead into the locker room, and pushed to 29 in the third quarter. A 12-1 run for the Hillcats in the third stopped the bleeding, and closed the gap to 18.
In the final quarter, Rogers State outscored St. Edward's 17-11 with the help of a late 9-0 run. However, Barnes staved off the effort with a pair of free throws to close the game.
The win keeps the Hilltoppers in contention for a top-four seed in the conference tournament. They are currently tied with Rogers State for fourth.
Coach Riehl and her squad look to carry their momentum into Saturday's matchup against Arkansas Fort Smith on the hilltop. Tipoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. with live stats and video available at GoHilltoppers.com.
| Heartland Conference Standings |
| Team | HC | OVERALL |
| Lubbock Christian | 10-0 | 18-0 |
| TAMU-International | 7-3 | 10-8 |
| Oklahoma Christian | 7-3 | 10-10 |
| St. Mary's | 6-4 | 12-6 |
| UA Fort Smith | 6-4 | 13-6 |
| St. Edward's | 5-5 | 7-11 |
| Rogers State* | 5-5 | 10-7 |
| Newman | 3-7 | 9-9 |
| UT-Permian Basin | 1-9 | 5-15 |
| Panhandle State | 0-10 | 1-17 |
| *-Not Eligble for Postseason Play | | |
| | |
| Thursday, January 28 | | |
| St. Edward's def. Rogers State, 63-51 | |
| UA Fort Smith def. UT-Permian Basin, 79-42 | |
| TAMU-International def. Newman, 58-36 | |
| Lubbock Christian def. Panhandle State, 100-57 |
| Oklahoma Christian def. St. Mary's 75-63 | | |
| | |
| Saturday, January 30 | | |
| UA Fort Smith at St. Edward's | 1:00 PM |
| Oklahoma Christian at TAMU-International | | 1:00 PM |
| Newman at St. Mary's | 1:00 PM |
| Rogers State at UT-Permian Basin | 1:00 PM |
| |
