AUSTIN, Texas. – St. Edward's women's basketball took sole possession of first place in the Heartland Conference Saturday as it held Oklahoma Christian to 36 perecent shooting in a 68-55 win.
 
The Hilltoppers recorded 14 steals and forced 24 Lady Eagle turnovers in the victory. LEXI FATHEREE led all scorers with 21 points while SHAKERA BARNES scored 14 and KHIANI CLARK scored 10. Fatheree also added five steals and six rebounds.
 
St. Edward's (14-6, 10-1 Heartland) sits alone atop the conference standings following a St. Mary's loss to Lubbock Christian. Oklahoma Christian (11-12, 6-5 Heartland) falls to fifth place in the league.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• Oklahoma Christian kept it close in the first quarter behind 66 percent shooting from behind the arc.
• A 3-pointer from the Lady Eagles' Hannah Holasek made it 15-14, Hilltoppers, at the end of the first period.
• The Hilltoppers defense stepped up in the second quarter, holding Oklahoma Christian to just three baskets from the floor.
• St. Edward's used four 3-point baskets in the second period to make it 33-26 at halftime.
• The Hilltoppers outscored the Lady Eagles, 19-17 in the third to maintain its lead.
• In the final period, Oklahoma Christian shot just 20 percent from the floor.

 
HILLTOPPER NOTES

• St. Edward's tied the all-time series with Oklahoma Christian at 7-7 with its regular-season sweep of the Lady Eagles.
• The Hilltoppers have only lost one game since Dec. 3, winning 13 of their last 14 contests.
• Barnes' four assists tie her for fifth on St. Edward's all-time list.
• Fatheree has scored over 20 points in four of her 12 games this season. She has over 700 career points.

 
QUOTE BOARD: HEAD COACH J.J. RIEHL
"I think the win was defensive. I don't know that we played our best offensive game. Defensively, we did a great job controlling their big three. They have three of the best players in the conference. It's great for the kids and for the locker room, but we can't get ahead of ourselves."
 
UP NEXT
St. Edward's hits the road Thursday to take on Texas A&M-International in Laredo, Texas at 5:30 p.m. Live stats and video will be available at GoHilltoppers.com.
 
GAME INFORMATION
Score: St. Edward's 68, Oklahoma Christian 55
Records: St. Edward's (14-6, 10-1 Heartland), Oklahoma Christian (11-12, 6-5 Heartland)
Leading Scorers: St. Edward's-Fatheree (21), Oklahoma Christian-Stanford (13)
Attendance: 348
 
HEARTLAND CONFERENCE STANDINGS
Team                   Conference                    Overall
St. Edward's             10-1                            14-6
St. Mary's                  9-2                              17-4
Lubbock Christian     7-3                              12-9
UA Fort Smith           7-4                              12-10
Oklahoma Christian  6-5                              11-12
Newman                    6-6                              16-8
Rogers State             3-9                              7-15
TAMU-International   2-9                              2-19
Panhandle State       0-12                            1-19
 
 
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.