AUSTIN, Texas – St. Edward's women's basketball dominated No. 21 St. Mary's Thursday on the way to an 82-65 upset victory while extending its winning streak to six games.
 
SHAKERA BARNES and KHIANI CLARK both recorded double-doubles. Barnes scored 16 points and dished out 12 assists, while Clark pulled down 11 rebounds with 12 points. LEXI FATHEREE tied the game high with 20 points.
 
St. Edward's (8-5, 4-0 Heartland) is alone in first place in the Heartland Conference standings. St. Mary's (11-3, 3-1 Heartland) falls into a three-way tie for second place in the league.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• St. Mary's led early with a 12-9 advantage at the 4:03 mark of the first quarter.
• A three-pointer from BAILEY HILL tied the game at 12 with 3:42 to go in the first.
• Fatheree and MADISON SCHENCK teamed up to give the Hilltoppers a 17-12 lead at the end of the opening period.
• The second quarter was all Fatheree as she scored nine points with two rebounds.
• A pair of steals from LEXI CUNNINGHAM helped St. Edward's to a 38-27 halftime lead.
• St. Edward's pulled away in the third period, shooting 73 percent from the floor and outscoring St. Mary's 28-16.
• In the fourth quarter the Rattlers outscored the Hilltoppers 22-16, but it was not enough.

 
HILLTOPPER NOTES

• Barnes' 12 assists are a career high and tied for sixth all-time in single-game assists.
• The last time the Hilltoppers won six straight games was the start of the 2013-14 season when they won the Heartland Conference tournament.
• St. Edward's 4-0 start in conference play is its best start since posting the same record in the 2014-15 season.
• The Hilltoppers' bench outscored St. Mary's 39-19.
• SEU led the nationally ranked Rattlers by as many as 26 points.

 
QUOTE BOARD: HEAD COACH J.J. RIEHL
"We shot well. Traditionally St. Mary's is a much more aggressive defensive team and that's where our game plan was in the first quarter. Obviously they didn't do that. Once we made that adjustment and started knocking down shots we got into a rhythm. A better part of that game, defense was the story. I thought we did a really good job making their life really difficult."
 
UP NEXT
St. Edward's hosts Texas A&M-International Saturday at 1 p.m. inside the Recreation and Convocation Center. Live stats and video will be available at GoHilltoppers.com
 
GAME INFORMATION
Score: St. Edward's 82, #21 St. Mary's 65
Records: St. Edward's (8-5, 4-0 Heartland), St. Mary's (11-3, 3-1 Heartland)
Leading Scorers: St. Edward's-Fatheree (20), St. Mary's-Etheridge (20)
Attendance: 256

HEARTLAND CONFERENCE STANDINGS
Team                   Conference          Overall
St. Edward's             4-0                    8-5
St. Mary's                 3-1                    11-3
Oklahoma Christian  3-1                    8-8
Lubbock Christian     2-1                    7-7
UA Fort Smith           3-2                    8-7
Newman                   1-3                    11-5
Rogers State            1-3                     5-9
TAMU-International  1-3                     1-13
Panhandle State       0-4                     1-11

 
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.