WICHITA FALLS, Texas - St. Edward's sophomore AINSLEY THUNELL hit a pair of free throws with less than a minute remaining and teamed with senior SAMMIE DUFEK on two critical defensive plays to force overtime, where the Hilltoppers defeated Midwestern State 63-56 in the first conference road game of the season. 

"What a great win for our squad. I thought the girls were so mentally tough down the stretch, and it was our best team win in a long time," St. Edward's head women's basketball coach J.J. Riehl says. "So many different people stepped up at different moments. The bench energy and what they provided our players on the court was just tremendous." 

Midwestern State opened the game trying to attack St. Edward's through the post, feeding Yasmine Sifaoui early and often with little success against the stout post defense of Dufek. On the other end, the Hilltoppers attacked the Lone Star Conference's top shot-blocking team relentlessly inside with barreling drives to the basket by MORGAN GARY, JAYDA RUFFUS-MILNER, and Isabel Langenburg for 11 of the Hilltoppers' 13 first-quarter points on a combined 5-for-8 shooting. 

The Mustangs countered by hitting the glass for four offensive rebounds and getting seven quick points from Natalie Stice. Midwestern State's leading scorer opened the game with a trio of opportunistic buckets, scoring on a putback, leaking out for a fast-break layup, and a corner 3-pointer off an elevator screen out of a baseline inbounds play, leading to a 17-13 lead after the first quarter. 

Stice continued to scorch the nets in the second quarter, attacking a closeout with a sidestep 3-pointer, a pull-up jumper against drop coverage in on-ball screen action, and a corner 3-pointer created by the chaos of a loose ball tipped back to her to finish with nine points in the quarter, shooting 3-for-5 from the field and 1-for-2 from the free-throw line for 16 points at the half. 

Thunell sparked the Hilltoppers early in the second quarter, hitting a top-of-the-key jumper from RONNIE CANTU and rebounding a Cantu floater in transition for the putback. MATILDA SORIC added a big 3-pointer, setting an off-ball screen and relocating for an open shot from the wing off a pass from Cantu. St. Edward's bench kept the Hilltoppers afloat with 13 first-half points to stay within reach at 31-25 at the half. 

St. Edward's opened the third quarter focused on Stice, which Midwestern State leveraged for two early cuts to the rim. However, the defense locked in on its game plan to take Stice out of her rhythm, limiting her to two shots in the quarter with just one make on a contested pull-up jumper. The defense switched screens at times and went to zone at others, disrupting the Mustangs' offensive flow and forcing six turnovers. When Midwestern State did puncture the defense, they were turned away with four third-quarter blocks. 

Gary picked up her aggressiveness after the break, scoring six points on three shots in the third quarter. The Hilltoppers' leading scorer was decisive with every move, attacking a closeout on a skip pass for a layup before the defense could react, hitting the boards for a pair of free throws on a putback attempt, and rejecting a screen and splitting two defenders for another open layup. 

Langenburg hit a key 3-pointer off a pass from Dufek, and Ruffus-Milner ended the quarter with a quick catch and spin for a layup to cut the deficit to 43-39 heading into the fourth quarter.LAUREN CATHERMAN played sound defense all game with three steals but struggled from the field until hitting a pair of big, back-to-back shots in the fourth quarter. First, Catherman drilled a 3-pointer from the top of the key off a pass from Gary after the latter collapsed the defense to bring the Hilltoppers to within one, then drove for a layup to give St. Edward's the lead at 44-43.

Both teams exchanged scores down the stretch, with St. Edward's resiliency exemplified on one possession, grabbing three offensive rebounds in traffic, leading to a Cantu layup. 

Thunell was fouled near the top of the key with 44 seconds remaining, draining both free throws to tie the game. She picked off a pass out of bounds on the ensuing defensive possession. Midwestern State reclaimed control by forcing a 10-second violation, but Dufek made an emphatic block to keep the game tied, sending it into overtime. 

Dufek altered a shot at the rim on the Mustangs' first possession of overtime, then drained a baseline jumper. Catherman earned four free-throw attempts, hitting all of them. Every starter scored in the extra time, and Cantu had two steals and drew a charge as part of a defensive effort that limited Midwestern State to 2-for-10 shooting. 

"Down the stretch, I thought we were the tougher, more together team. We were so confident and unwavering in who we were and what we were doing in those moments," Riehl explains. "I'm proud of them. Road wins in this league are tough, and pulling this one out is important for this team's journey." 

Gary led St. Edward's with 15 points and 12 rebounds with four steals. Ruffus-Milner and Catherman scored nine each, and Thuneell and Langenberg combined for 15 off the bench.

St. Edward's improves to 4-5 with a 2-1 conference record. The Hilltoppers will remain on the road and play Cameron on Monday at 5:30 p.m.