AUSTIN, Texas- The St. Edward's Women's Basketball team came into Saturday afternoon's game looking to move up into the top half of the standings. A determined UA Fort Smith squad and cold shooting by the home team ended those thoughts, as the Hilltoppers fell to the Lions, 80-55, at the Recreation and Convocation Center.
 
St. Edward's (7-12, 5-6 HC) shot just 27 percent (15-55) from the floor, while UA Fort Smith (14-6, 7-4 HC) shot 45 percent from the field.
 
The Hilltoppers were led by KHIANI CLARK, SHAKERA BARNES and LEXI FATHEREE, who all scored 13 points. Clark also registered a game-high nine rebounds, while Barnes tallied three assists to lead the home team.
 
Jasmine Brainard led the Lions with 23 points and Desiree Loving added 12 points off of the bench.
 
The first quarter told the story, as UA Fort Smith raced out to a 7-0 lead in the first three minutes of action. Brainard scored all seven points, which was capped off by a trey. The Lions didn't stop there, as the visitors took a 14-6 advantage with 3:42 left in the first half and embarked on a 19-0 run. The run, which carried over into the second quarter, gave UA Fort Smith a 33-8 lead with 7:50 remaining. Brainard had contributed 16 points to that point.
 
A layup by Clark and five-straight points from Barnes gave the Hilltoppers a 7-0 run but the Lions pushed the lead back over 20 points and never looked back.
 
If the Hilltoppers can take anything away from this game, it was their fourth-quarter play. St. Edward's outscored UA Fort Smith, 19-10.
 
"UA Fort Smith really took it to us today and shot the ball well," head coach J.J. Riehl said. "I thought we were a little too passive and tentative and that showed the entire game. I will say that their pressure defense is not what hurt us today, it was our slow start."
 
St. Edward's will back in action for the final game of a three-game homestand on Thursday against UT-Permian Basin. Tip-off is 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 Conference Standings
Team	HC	OVERALL
Lubbock Christian	10-0	18-0
TAMU-International	8-3	11-8
Oklahoma Christian	7-4	10-11
St. Mary's	7-4	13-6
UA Fort Smith	7-4	14-6
Rogers State*	6-5	11-7
St. Edward's	5-6	7-12
Newman	3-8	9-10
UT-Permian Basin	1-10	5-16
Panhandle State	0-11	1-18
*-Not Eligble for Postseason Play
Saturday, January 30
UA Fort Smith def. St. Edward's, 80-55
TAMU-International def. Oklahoma Christian, 66-57 (OT)
St. Mary's def. Newman, 67-59
Rogers State def. UT-Permian Basin, 56-49
Thursday, February 4
UT-Permian Basin at St. Edward's		5:30 PM
TAMU-International at UA Fort Smith		5:30 PM
Lubbock Christian at Oklahoma Christian		5:30 PM
Panhandle State at Newman		5:30 PM
St. Mary's at Rogers State		5:30 PM