AUSTIN, Texas – St. Edward's Women's Basketball trailed UT-Permian Basin at the end of the first and third quarters, but KHIANI CLARK scored 12 points in the fourth to take down the Falcons, 65-57 on Thursday night.
 
Clark scored 21 points, just two shy of matching her career high, and pulled down 11 rebounds to record her eighth double-double of the season. The junior went 7-for-12 from the field and made all seven of her free throw attempts. SHAKERA BARNES and ABBY HOPPER also scored in double digits with 16 and 14, respectively. Barnes added four assists while Hopper tallied four blocks, three assists, and three steals.
 
The victory keeps St. Edward's in a tie for fourth in the Heartland Conference as the Hilltoppers improve to 8-12 overall and 6-6 in league play. UT-Permian Basin falls to 5-17 and 1-11.
 
"I thought the fourth quarter was huge. We did not play well in the third quarter, and at the start of the fourth they just clicked," said head coach J.J. Riehl. "I thought you saw a ton of emotion, passion, and fire coming out, which is really the difference for us. If we play like that, we can really play with anybody. However, if we lack that we can't play with anyone. I think that's why we were able to grind out a win tonight."
 
A sluggish start for Clark and the Hilltoppers was UTPB's good fortune. The Falcons quickly erased a two-point St. Edward's lead, and used a 7-3 run to pull ahead of the home team. A three-point shot for the visitors at the buzzer made it 15-10, Falcons.
 
In the second quarter, coach Riehl's team came alive. After exchanging baskets to start the period, Hopper dropped back-to-back shots from behind to arc to give the Hilltoppers a one-point advantage. The junior forward from Lubbock, Texas then sliced through the lane, and took a pass from Clark to make it eight-straight points and a three-point advantage.
 
The Hilltoppers' lead grew all the way to 10 as Clark finished what Hopper had started, scoring five points in a 7-0 run to close the half. Hopper finished the quarter with 10 of her 14 points, while Clark collected seven.
 
However, halftime sparked the Falcons and they came out on fire, outscoring the home team 24-10 in the third period.  UTPB's Sierra LaGrande did her best Hopper impersonation with seven-consecutive points to cut St. Edward's lead to three. Back-to-back Falcon three-pointers erased the Hilltoppers' edge completely. With one period to play, the home trailed again, 47-43.
 
In the final quarter, KHIANI CLARK put the team on her back. Hopper scored a layup before Clark produced her own 12-2 run for the Hilltoppers. She scored five-straight points to tie the game at 50. When the Falcons took the lead again, 52-50, the junior from Round Rock scored seven more points to give St. Edward's a five-point advantage.
 
"We just play team ball," said Clark. "If I get the ball, and I can put it in, then I do it. If not, then someone else can. In the fourth quarter we got back doing us; playing team ball, talking on defense, and that led to our offense."
 
Coach Riehl's squad combined to outscore UTPB, 17-5, over seven minutes and 30 seconds of play in the fourth. A final push from the Falcons sputtered, and St. Edward's clinched its fourth conference victory in the last six tries.
 
Clark and the Hilltoppers take the weekend off before returning to action next Thursday at St. Mary's in San Antonio, Texas in another round of the "Battle of the Saints". Tipoff is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. at Bill Greehey Arena. Live stats and video will be available through links at GoHilltoppers.com. 
 

Heartland Conference Standings
Team	HC	OVERALL
Lubbock Christian	11-0	19-0
St. Mary's	8-4	14-6
UA Fort Smith	8-4	15-6
TAMU-International	8-4	11-9
Oklahoma Christian	7-5	10-12
St. Edward's	6-6	8-12
Rogers State*	6-6	11-8
Newman	4-8	10-10
UT-Permian Basin	1-11	5-17
Panhandle State	0-11	1-18
*-Not Eligble for Postseason Play
Thursday, February 4
St. Edward's def. UT-Permian Basin, 65-57
UA Fort Smith def. TAMU-International, 62-57
Newman def. Panhandle State, 63-43
Lubbock Christian def. Oklahoma Christian, 87-59
St. Mary's def. Rogers State, 61-51
Saturday, February 6
TAMU-International at Rogers Sate		1:00 PM
Lubbock Christian at Newman		1:00 PM
Panhandle State at Oklahoma Christian		1:00 PM
St. Mary's at UA Fort Smith		1:00 PM