OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. – SHAKERA BARNES recorded 22 points and nine rebounds Saturday to help St. Edward's women's basketball past Oklahoma Christian 65-56.   
 
Barnes led all scorers while also adding five assists and five steals. KHIANI CLARK (18) and ABBY HOPPER (11) also scored in doubles digits.
 
The win extends St. Edward's (7-5, 3-0 Heartland) winning streak to five games. Oklahoma Christian falls to 7-8 overall and 2-1 in the conference.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• St. Edward's led 15-8 after the first quarter thanks to a 7-0 run sparked by MADISON SCHENCK, Hopper, and Barnes.
• Oklahoma Christian tied the game at 17 with a 9-2 run of its own to start the second quarter.
• Layups from Barnes and Clark in the final three minutes gave the Hilltoppers a 25-21 halftime lead.
• SEU outscored OC 18-11 in the third quarter to push its lead to 43-32.
• Clark and Hopper clinched the win with 5-of-6 free throw shooting in the final 17 seconds.

 
HILLTOPPER NOTES

• The Hilltoppers snapped a three-game losing streak to the Eagles and improved to 6-7 in the all-time series.
• St. Edward's is tied for first in the conference with St. Mary's at 3-0.
• Barnes leads the league in total assists (70) and assists per game (5.8).
• The last time St. Edward's started 3-0 in conference play was the 2014-15 season.

 
QUOTE BOARD: HEAD COACH J.J. RIEHL
"We really locked in and did a great job on their big three. The kids were really locked into our preparation the last couple of days. They came out and executed everything we asked them to execute. It was a really good defensive effort on a day when we weren't shooting well from the outside."
 
UP NEXT
St. Edward's opens Heartland Conference play at home Thursday at 5:30 p.m. against St. Mary's. Live stats and video will be available at GoHilltoppers.com.
 
GAME INFORMATION
Score: St. Edward's 65, Oklahoma Christian 56
Records: St. Edward's (7-5, 3-0 Heartland), Oklahoma Christian (7-8, 2-1 Heartland)
Leading Scorers: St. Edward's-Barnes (22), Oklahoma Christian-Stanford (18)
Attendance: 248
 
For the latest information on the St. Edward's University Women's Basketball team, follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram at @SEUWBasketball, or visit us at www.GoHilltoppers.com.