BELLA MUSCOREIL, MORGAN GARY, and JAYDA RUFFUS-MILNER played fantastically during critical stretches of St. Edward's win over Western New Mexico to give the women's basketball team a split of its conference-opening week at home.
The Hilltoppers will have a long week to prepare for struggling Midwestern State (1-6) and Cameron (2-5) next Saturday and Monday. However, with final exams underway, it will be a week where basketball is far from the focus.
"It's always a difficult week to navigate with the pressures, stresses, and sleepless nights," St. Edward's head women's basketball coach J.J. Riehl explains. "We have to figure out the right approach to make the week as short as possible and still take care of what we need to basketball-wise."
Thus far, when the Hilltoppers have managed the turnover battle, they've been competitive in close games with Regis and No. 14-ranked Tampa and wins over Texas Lutheran, Huston-Tillotson, and Western New Mexico. Doing so as the team adjusts to new lineups on the fly after losing two guards and integrating a new transfer student has made it a tall task, but a job answered for at least one week by an even taller player.
Muscoreil, a 6-foot-3 center, emerged with two double-digit scoring games last week with 10 and 13 points on an efficient 10-for-14 shooting.
The production is good, but just important is the structure her skill set offers a team looking for stability. Muscoreil's post-up scoring is another go-to scoring option, and her solid screens have opened the baseline for guards. Add a silky midrange jumper combined with excellent passing and a high basketball IQ, and she also makes a reliable pressure release valve in the halfcourt.
"When Bella has that mindset and approach mentally, emotionally, and physically, we're an entirely different team," Riehl exclaims. "She gives everyone on the floor confidence because she is capable away from the basket, can facilitate, and has a high basketball IQ. For her, it's about bringing that mindset consistently. For me, it's about figuring out different lineups so we can use her in different ways."
Finding consistent scoring hubs in Gary, Ruffus-Milner, and Muscoreil allowed the offense to settle and take the stress of the Hilltopper defense by keeping the opposition in the halfcourt, where St. Edward's got stellar performances from Gary, LAUREN CATHERMAN, and SAMMIE DUFEK among others.
"Lauren made huge plays down the stretch [against Western New Mexico]. She's a defensive playmaker for sure," Riehl says. "But Morgan is our defensive anchor. She's our voice. She communicates and keeps everyone together."
That communication will be vital against Midwestern State guards Natalie Stice and Sheridan Bostic, averaging 13.1 and 10.0 points per game. Stice is coming off a career-high 26 points on 6-for-11 shooting from deep, and Bostic has hit a sizzling .462 percent of her 39 3-point attempts this season.
On the defensive end, Midwestern State is the top shot-blocking team in the Lone Star Conference with 4.7 per game, led by Mandy Withey's 1.86 per game, second only to Dufek's 2.25 per game. However, the team has shown vulnerability in the paint to open conference play, surrendering a 17-point, 10-rebound double-double to Texas Women's Ashley Ingram and getting outscored 46-10 in the paint by Texas-Tyler.
Cameron is off to a slow 2-5 start after posting a 17-11 record last year. The Aggies lost key players and their head coach but retained veteran guard Katie King and promoted former assistant Jeff Mahoney as its new head coach. Cameron has also received solid production from leading scorer Alena Wilson, a 5-foot-10 forward averaging 14.7 points and 8.3 rebounds per game, and wing Korie Allensworth, averaging 10.6 points per game.
Win at home and split on the road has been an edict Riehl has given her teams in her tenure at St. Edward's. After splitting the opening home games, the head coach is looking for her team to build off its win in what should be competitive road contests.
"These are two important games, but it comes down to us doing what we need to do," Riehl says. "There are a lot of emotional and mental excuses to be had going on the road after finals, but we can't afford to go on the road and not at least split, so we need to play with that sense of urgency."
Inside a powerhouse Lone Star Conference that boasts seven of the 10 regionally ranked teams, including nationally-ranked West Texas A&M and a Texas Woman's University receiving votes, the next step of development for the Hilltoppers is giving itself opportunities to bank wins in competitive games.
