AUSTIN, Texas – The St. Edward's women's basketball team put together solid defensive stretches but couldn't overcome a slow start in a 62-54 loss to the Texas A&M International Dustdevils.
The final conference game of the calendar year was a marquee matchup between arguably the Lone Star Conference's best offensive and defensive centers. Texas A&M International's Rai Brown entered the game as the conference's leading scorer, averaging 19.4 points per game on 57 percent shooting. SAMMIE DUFEK, the Hilltoppers' all-time leader in blocked shots, leads the LSC with 2.42 blocks per game.
Dufek was stellar in one-on-one situations, holding position and forcing kickouts or contested shots, finishing with nine rebounds, four blocks, and three steals.
Brown and the Dustdevils found ways to work around Dufek's rim protection, feeding Brown open shots in the paint off dribble penetration or taking advantage of switches. She also worked on the offensive glass and bullied her way to the free-throw line, scoring a game-high 22 points on 8-for-13 shooting and 6-for-9 from the charity stripe.
Though Brown filled the box score, it was the defense that set the tone for the Dustdevils. Texas A&M International disrupted St. Edward's offense early with an overggressive style, opening the game with a steal and fast-break layup on the opening possession and dramatically overplaying passing lanes all afternoon.
The Hilltoppers surrendered eight points off seven turnovers in the first quarter and shot just 4-for-15 in the first 10 minutes to fall behind 18-10.
St. Edward's continued to struggle with spacing in the second quarter but limited the live-ball turnovers and dug in on the defensive end, holding Texas A&M International to 33.3 percent shooting in the quarter. On the other end, the Hilltoppers found some footing with MORGAN GARY scoring six points on 3-for-4 shooting.
Gary's ability to navigate through a thicket of defenders, spinning out of tight quarters into open space, kept the Hilltoppers afloat. The Hilltoppers' leading scorer cut the deficit to five with a minute remaining in the half, but Dustdevils' reserve Meli Hornedo hit a leaning bank shot as time expired to put her team back up seven with a 28-21 lead.
Gary and Jayda Ruffus-Millner scored 14 of the Hilltoppers' 21 points in the first half, shooting a combined 6-for-10 from the field. Brown led Texas A&M International with 11 points on seven shots at the break.
St. Edward's made several key adjustments in the third quarter to climb back into the game. The Hilltoppers moved Dufek out of the paint, opening up lanes for backdoor cuts and forcing the Dustdevils to ease up its pressure on the first pass. The reconfigured spacing allowed Ruffus-Milner space to work mismatches at the elbows, driving around the slower Marija Bakic and Emily Swiercz for nine points on 3-for-3 shooting from the field and 3-for-5 from the free-throw line in the quarter.
On the defensive end, the Hilltoppers forced turnovers and confusion by blitzing Dufek on ball screens and using Gary to tag Brown on the roll. Both adjustments were enough to pull the Hilltoppers within two at 32-30 with 6:08 remaining in the third.
Brown responded with a layup and foul to put Texas A&M International back up five, forcing Dufek to the bench with her third foul. Dufek's absence left the paint open for layups and second-chance points, pushing the lead back to 12 at 50-38 at the end of the third.
St. Edward's continued to fight defensively in the fourth, limiting Texas A&M International to 2-for-11 shooting in the final 10 minutes while finding some balance in a 7-for-16 shooting performance.
The Hilltoppers were able to cut the deficit to a single possession on a layup by Ruffus-Millner with 2:56 remaining, but Brown drew two shooting fouls and hit 3-of-4 free throws to extend the lead back to 57-51 with 2:06 remaining and the Dustdevils iced the game from line down the stretch.
Ruffus-Milner led St. Edward's with 17 points on 6-for-8 shooting with five made free throws and three rebounds. Gary finished just shy of a double-double with 14 points on 7-for-14 shooting and nine rebounds to go with three assists.
In addition to Brown's 22 points, Bakic and Swiercz scored in double figures with 11 and 13 points respectively. Bakic shot just 3-for-9 from the field but made some key scoring plays when Brown left the game with foul trouble to keep the Hilltoppers at bay.
St. Edward's falls to 6-7 with a 2-3 conference record after the loss. The Hilltoppers will host Texas A&M - Kingsville on Sunday at 1:00 p.m.
