AUSTIN, Texas. – LEXI FATHEREE and SHAKERA BARNES combined to score 33 points Thursday as St. Edward's women's basketball overcame 10 first-quarter turnovers to defeat Panhandle State 66-51.
 
Fatheree led all scorers with 18 points while Barnes added 15 points on 6-of-7 shooting from the floor. HALEY JOLY also scored in double digits with 10 points. ABBY HOPPER led the way on the boards with eight rebounds and dished out a career-high six assists.
 
St. Edward's (12-6, 8-1 Heartland) is tied for first place in the Heartland Conference standings with St. Mary's. The Hilltoppers currently hold the tiebreaker after an 82-65 win over the Rattlers earlier this season.  Panhandle State (1-16, 0-9 Heartland) continues to search for its first conference win.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• Fatheree gave St. Edward's its first points of the game with an old-fashioned 3-point play.
• BAILEY HILL drained a 3-point basket with six seconds remaining in to quarter to give the Hilltoppers a 15-10 lead.
• After 10 turnovers in the first quarter, SEU only committed three in the second quarter and extended its lead to 31-24 at the half.
• Hopper sparked a 6-0 run to start the third period, giving St. Edward's a 37-24 lead.
• A 3-pointer from FAIREN SUTTON extended the Hilltoppers' advantage to 48-30 with 2:20 remaining in the third quarter.
• St. Edward's held Panhandle State scoreless in the final 2:25 to clinch the win.

 
HILLTOPPER NOTES

• St. Edward's is 23-9 all-time against Panhandle State and has won the last nine contents.
• Head coach J.J. Riehl has never lost to the Aggies as leader of the Hilltoppers.
• Barnes' four assists tie her for sixth on St. Edward's all-time list with coach Riehl.
• Fatheree's 18 points move her into third on the team in scoring in only 10 appearances this season.

 
QUOTE BOARD: HEAD COACH J.J. RIEHL
"I didn't realize how well we shot. That was kind of masked by how many turnovers we had, but I think we shot decently well. Defensively we played okay, and then in the third and fourth quarter we were able to get that lead and create some separation. Overall I wasn't super pleased with our focus. We have to be a little cleaner.
 
UP NEXT
St. Edward's continues its homestand Saturday at 1 p.m. against Newman. Tickets will be available at the door. Live stats and video will be available at GoHilltoppers.com.
 
GAME INFORMATION
Score: St. Edward's 66, Panhandle State 51
Records: St. Edward's (12-6, 8-1 Heartland), Panhandle State (1-16, 0-9 Heartland)
Leading Scorers: St. Edward's-Fatheree (18), Panhandle State-Roberson (12)
Attendance: 238
 
HEARTLAND CONFERENCE STANDINGS
Team                       Conference                Overall
St. Edward's              8-1                              12-6
St. Mary's                  8-1                              16-3
Lubbock Christian     5-2                              10-8
UA Fort Smith           6-3                              11-9
Oklahoma Christian  5-4                              10-11
Newman                    3-6                              13-8
Rogers State             2-7                              6-13
TAMU-International   2-7                              2-17
Panhandle State       0-8                              1-15
 
 
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.