AUSTIN, Texas – SHAKERA BARNES, LEXI FATHEREE and KHIANI CLARK all scored in double digits as St. Edward's women's basketball clinched a share of the Heartland Conference title Saturday with a 70-64 win over Rogers State.
 
Clark led all scorers with 18 points while Barnes scored 17 and Fatheree finished with 12. Barnes added four assists and four rebounds with Fatheree grabbing four boards as well.
 
St. Edward's (17-7, 13-2 Heartland) clinches a share of the Heartland Conference regular-season title with one game to play. Rogers State falls to 8-18 overall and 3-14 in the conference.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• Rogers State stayed close in the first quarter, holding St. Edward's to 26 percent shooting from the floor.
• The Hilltoppers took a 14-12 lead into the second quarter and pushed it to 20-14 with a 6-2 run.
• A jumper from Barnes gave SEU a 31-20 advantage with 2:12 to play before halftime, but RSU scored four straight to make it 31-24 at the break.
• St. Edward's defense stepped up in the third quarter, holding the Hillcats to two field goals and building a 46-34 lead.
• Freshman FAIREN SUTTON stepped up in the fourth quarter with two threes while Clark dropped eight points to clinch the win.

 
HILLTOPPER NOTES

• St. Edward's has never won a regular season Heartland Conference Championship outright.
• A win next Saturday against Lubbock Christian clinches the title.
• The Hilltoppers have won three straight against the Hillcats and are 6-2 in the all-time series.
• Barnes, Clark and Fatheree have scored in double figures in two straight games.
• Saturday was St. Edward's homecoming and final home game of the season.
• The Hilltoppers' best conference record in program history was 13-3 in 1996-97 under Janice Wallace.

 
QUOTE BOARD: HEAD COACH J.J. RIEHL
"I continue to be unbelievably proud of these kids. They've worked really, really hard and they deserve this."
 
UP NEXT
St. Edward's closes its regular season Saturday, Feb. 25 at 12 p.m. against Lubbock Christian in the Rip Griffin Center. Live stats and video will be available at GoHilltoppers.com.
 
GAME INFORMATION
Score: St. Edward's 70, Rogers State 64
Records: St. Edward's (17-7, 13-2 Heartland), Rogers State (8-18, 3-14 Heartland)
Leading Scorers: St. Edward's-Clark (18), Rogers State-Schuldt (17)
Attendance: 578
 
HEARTLAND CONFERENCE STANDINGS
Team                       Conference                Overall
St. Edward's             13-2                           17-7
St. Mary's                  11-3                           19-5
Lubbock Christian     10-4                            15-10
Oklahoma Christian  10-5                            15-12
UA Fort Smith           9-6                              14-12
Newman                    7-7                              17-9
Rogers State             3-12                           8-18
TAMU-International  2-12                            2-22
Panhandle State       0-14                            1-21
 
 
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.