OKLAHOMA CITY – MORGAN GARY settled into her defensive stance as Brooklin Bain brought the ball up, approaching the final minute. Bain attempted a crossover, but Gary timed the move perfectly, poking the ball free and passing it ahead to RONNIE CANTU for the layup. 

The play was indicative of a St. Edward's women's basketball team dialed in on the defensive end all evening in a 57-46 win over the Oklahoma Christian Eagles to open the second half of the Hilltoppers' four-game road test. 

"I was proud of our girls. It was a tough few hours before the game, and I like that we found something in each other in those moments," St. Edward's head women's basketball coach J.J. Riehl says. "We were just so convicted in everything we did on the court; unwavering in our plan and how we executed it." 

Through the first part of the season, St. Edward's has struggled in its first game of the week, especially on the road. Head women's basketball coach J.J. Riehl describes the phenomenon as a failure to get off the bus – or not arriving ready to play. 

Needing wins to solidify itself in the upper-middle portion of the conference standings, the Hilltoppers looked to remedy the issue through sheer force of will. 

St. Edward's struggled from the field in the opening quarter. Still, they overwhelmed Oklahoma Christian with volume, hitting the glass for six offensive rebounds and swarming on defense to force seven turnovers. The effort turned into eight more shot attempts than Oklahoma Christian, outscoring the Eagles 9-5 in second-chance points and 4-1 at the free-throw line for a 15-13 lead.The Hilltoppers continued to find advantages in the margins, using hustle points to maintain its lead in actual points. St. Edward's shooting woes continued with a 4-for-16 quarter. However, the Hilltoppers got four offensive rebounds and five combined points off the bench from MATILDA SORIC and DAFNE GIANESINI to hold onto a 24-23 lead at the half. 

"We got off the bus today, and as we always say, if we get off the bus emotionally and mentally, we will compete in any game," Riehl explains. "We won the hustle plays, the boards, and the 50-50 balls." 

St. Edward's picked up its defensive pressure in the third quarter, continuing to turn to the full-court press it utilized to significant effect to start against Texas Woman's. The Hilltoppers forced nine turnovers in the quarter, generating six steals to score seven of its 13 points in the quarter off turnovers. Though Bain finally caught fire for Oklahoma Christian, scoring six points on 3-for-4 shooting in the quarter, the Eagles only generated 10 shot attempts to mitigate their 60 percent shooting and tie the game at 37. 

The Hilltopper offense finally found its rhythm in the fourth, reeling off a 10-0 run to start the fourth quarter as part of a 20-9 run to close the game. 

LAUREN CATHERMAN sparked the Hilltoppers with the first two buckets of the quarter, baffling her defender with a fake spin to create room for a pull-up jumper, then after drawing a charge, delivering a stunning crossover to drive from the 3-point line to the rim for the layup. Then, Catherman threaded a pass to AINSLEY THUNELL between two defenders, with the latter drawing a foul and hitting both free throws. Then, after Catherman hit 1-of-2 free throws, Gary drilled a 3-pointer for the 10-point lead.

The 3-pointer was part of seven consecutive points from Gary, who led the team with 15 points and 10 rebounds for her fourth double-double. Ruffus-Milner added 10 points on nine shots to go with four rebounds, four assists, and two steals, and Catherman and Thunell added eight points each. Bain led Oklahoma Christian with 11 points and 12 rebounds, and Kate Bradley added 10 points. 

"I thought our transition game got us some easy looks on a night we struggled shooting," Riehl says. "The press was really good for us in the third. It prevented them from finding a rhythm offensively, which was the key to me. Overall, it was a tough performance by our squad." 

St. Edward's improves to 8-9 with a 4-5 conference record. The Hilltoppers will face Arkansas Fort Smith on Saturday at 1:00 p.m.