TULSA, Okla. – A total of four Hilltoppers scored in double digits Thursday, as St. Edward's women's basketball defeated Texas A&M-International, 67-49, to advance to the semifinals of the Heartland Conference Tournament.
 
KHIANI CLARK grabbed a career-high 19 rebounds while scoring 15 points. LEXI FATHEREE, BAILEY HILL, and ABBY HOPPER each scored 13 points as well. SHAKERA BARNES finished the game with four assists and four rebounds.
 
St. Edward's (18-8) caps a season sweep of Texas A&M-International, defeating the Dustdevils in all three meetings. Texas A&M-International closes its season with a record of 2-25.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• Hopper came out firing, scoring four of the Hilltoppers first seven points.
• TAMIU kept it close, taking a 9-8 lead at the end of the first quarter.
• A 12-0 run to start the second quarter put St. Edward's ahead 32-21 at the half.
• Barnes scored her first points of the game in the final seconds of the third quarter, making it 50-34 to start the final period.
• The Dustdevils pulled within 10 points with 2:54 remaining, but the Hilltoppers scored the final nine points of the contest.

 
HILLTOPPER NOTES

• Fatheree boasts a career average of 15.0 points per game in five Heartland Conference Tournament appearances.
• Head Coach J.J. Riehl is 5-3 all time in Heartland Tournament play.
• Clark's 19 rebounds tie her career high and rank ninth in program history for single-game rebounds.
• The Hilltoppers knocked the Dustdevils out of the tournament in the first round last season, 71-65.

 
QUOTE BOARD: HEAD COACH J.J. RIEHL
"I certainly want to give credit to Texas A&M-International. They play us difficult and it's always a tough game for us. I thought we got more patient towards the end of the game. We weren't great against their defense, but we did what we needed to do. We are excited about the opportunity to advance and looking forward to the next step."
 
UP NEXT
St. Edward's advances to the Heartland Tournament semifinals Saturday at noon where they will face either UA Fort Smith or Oklahoma Christian. Live stats and video of the game will be available at GoHilltoppers.com.
 
GAME INFORMATION
Score: St. Edward's 67, Texas A&M-International 49
Records: St. Edward's (18-8), Texas A&M-International (2-25)
Leading Scorers: St. Edward's-Clark (15), Texas A&M-International-Hunt (15)
Attendance: 187
 
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