AUSTIN, Texas – St. Edward's women's basketball jumped to a gigantic lead and made enough plays down the stretch to hold off St. Mary's in a 74-61 win in the Battle of the Saints. 

Four of the Hilltoppers' five starters scored in double figures, led by MORGAN GARY's 18-point, 11-rebound double-double. St. Edward's leading scorer also had five assists, shooting 9-for-17 from the field. 

Gary set the tone with a dominant first quarter, getting into the paint for St. Edward's first two baskets on driving layups. The 5-foot-9 forward got to the paint at will, both off the dribble and via off-ball cuts, for 12 first-quarter points. 

St. Edward's was relentless on the offensive glass and defensive end, grabbing six offensive rebounds and holding St. Mary's to 1-for-10 shooting while hitting 10-of-18 from the field to take a 21-3 lead after LAUREN CATHERMAN hit a 3-pointer as time expired in the quarter. 

St. Mary's closed the gap in the second quarter behind the driving prowess of Jaedyn Dunn and Ariah Powell, who combined for 15 points as part of a 25-17 run. 

For every run the Rattlers made, RONNIE CANTU was there to answer. St. Edward's point guard hit three 3-pointers in the second quarter, scoring 14 points on 5-for-6 shooting. The junior point guard hit all four of her 3-point attempts and contributed four assists and two rebounds.

AINSLEY THUNELL also played a critical role in the second quarter, scoring six points on three midrange jumpers to help keep St. Mary's at bay with a 38-28 Hilltopper lead at the half. 

Dufek picked up her fourth personal foul late in the third quarter as the Rattlers made a push to cut their deficit to single digits at 52-44 with 2:03 remaining in the quarter. JAYDA RUFFUS-MILNER shook off her early-game struggles to come through with a driving layup and a made free throw as part of a six-point quarter, and MATILDA SORIC hit a 3-pointer with three seconds remaining to keep the lead at 58-46 heading into the fourth. 

SAMMIE DUFEK and LAUREN CATHERMAN took over from there. Catherman repeatedly broke the St. Mary's press off the dribble, scoring six of her 15 points in the fourth quarter. She also grabbed six assists and five rebounds. Dufek also had six points in the fourth quarter, showing uncharacteristic aggressiveness on the offensive end, driving to the rim and taking her midrange jumper for 12 points on 6-for-7 shooting. She also had a massive block against Gaby Elliot in the fourth, helping to seal the victory. 

St. Edward's finished 32-for-53 from the field (60.4 percent), including 7-for-10 from deep. The Hilltoppers improved to 14-15 with the win and 10-11 in conference play. St. Edward's will play St. Mary's again on Thursday, traveling to San Antonio for the regular-season finale with an opportunity to clinch a spot in the Lone Star Conference Tournament.