SAN ANTONIO – St. Edward's women's basketball closed its regular season with an 80-73 loss to the St. Mary's Rattlers. Still, it will extend its season by at least one more game after the night ended with the Hilltoppers earning the final spot in the Lone Star Conference Tournament. 

LAUREN CATHERMAN led four Hilltoppers in double figures with 18 points and six rebounds, hitting 7-of-10 shots. However, a swarming Rattler defense overcame a hot-shooting night for the Hilltoppers, generating 15 steals to outscore St. Edward's 24-15 in points off turnovers. 

Catherman set the tone with seven points on 3-for-4 shooting in the first quarter, giving the Hilltoppers an early 9-6 lead with a driving layup and free throw five-and-a-half minutes into the game. 

St. Mary's Teanna Huggins responded with nine points on five shots over the final four minutes to lead a 15-4 run to put the Rattlers up 21-13 after the first quarter. 

Ariah Powell hit three 3-pointers in the second quarter to push the St. Mary's lead up to 20 points with 5:56 remaining in the half after a 20-0 run. However, the Hilltoppers closed the gap with a 9-0 run near the end of the quarter to trail 45-30 at the break. 

Powell and Huggins combined for 24 points in the half, while MORGAN GARY led the Hilltoppers with 10 points, hitting 4-for-5 from the free-throw line. Catherman and RONNIE CANTU scored seven each for the Hilltoppers. 

JAYDA RUFFUS-MILNER and Catherman scored six points each on a combined 8-for-10 shooting from the free-throw line help St. Edward's outscore St. Mary's 18-11 in the quarter, cutting the lead to single digits at 56-48. 

St. Edward's made several pushes to bring the game to within two possessions in the fourth quarter, but St. Mary's answered every run to keep the Hilltoppers at bay. 

Huggins finished with 16 points on 7-for-10 shooting. Powell added 12 points, while Briley Perkins and Gabb Elliott scored 11 each. Natalia Ryng had 10 points, ten rebounds, and seven steals. The Rattlers shot 44.1 percent from the field, 44.4 percent from deep, and 74.1 percent from the free-throw line. 

Ruffus-Milner had 17 points and ten rebounds. Gary scored 17 points and nine rebounds, while Cantu finished with 10 points. 

St. Edward's wraps up its regular season with a 14-16 record and is one of three Lone Star Conference teams to finish 10-12 in conference play. Cameron University earns the seventh seed by virtue of its superior combined record over St. Edward's and Texas Permian Basin, and St. Edward's owns the head-to-head tiebreaker over Texas Permian Basin.

The Lone Star Conference Tournament opens Thursday, March 2, in Frisco, Texas. St. Edward's will play top-seeded Texas Woman's at 6:00 p.m.