St. Edward's women's basketball opens the new year against a Texas A&M International team in the midst of its greatest one in recent memory, making the trip through Laredo and Kingsville to take on the A&Ms. 
 
The Hilltoppers closed 2023 with wins over Cameron and Arlington Baptist and a strong showing in an exhibition loss against NCAA Division I Incarnate Word. 
 
Dating back to a Dec. 8 loss to Midwestern State, St. Edward's has put together some processes that should yield greater results moving forward. 
 
Between the Midwestern State and Cameron games, the Hilltoppers installed some different looks to their zone offense and took on greater individual emphasis to attack the seams. 
 
The defensive pressure has ramped up for double-digit steals in the past three games, with LAUREN CATHERMAN and JAYDA RUFFUS-MILNER good for one combined dominant stretch of chaotic defense in each game. Low-usage role players have started finding their niche, whether it's defensive energy or connective passers on the offense. 
 
St. Edward's is 5-5 with a 2-2 conference record, and both conference losses a one-possession game felled by a foot-on-the-line jumper and offensive putback at the buzzer. 
 
The team leads the Lone Star Conference in rebound margin (10.3) and rebounds per game (42.2). Having ceded some shot-creation responsibilities to the team's first-year starters, Ruffus-Milner has compensated by crashing the glass for 3.1 offensive rebounds per game, which is sixth in the LSC. 
 
Statistically, St. Edward's is one of the stingiest defenses in the LSC, ranking second in scoring defense (58.2 points surrendered per game) and field-goal percentage defense (35.3 percent). Ruffus-Milner and Catherman are in the top ten in the conference in steals per game on a team that ranks fourth in turnovers forced. 
 
Point guard JANIAH PERKINS is one of two first-years in the top ten in scoring in the LSC and the only one in the top ten in points and assists. 
 
Texas A&M International (11-2, 3-2)
 
Texas A&M International has opened the season with eight consecutive victories and followed a loss to Angelo State with a 65-60 win over No. 20-ranked Lubbock Christian. 
 
That start and victory over LCU earned the Dustdevils the No. 23 ranking in the WBCA National Polls for the first time in program history. Texas A&M International has gone 2-1 since then, with a loss at West Texas A&M, dropping the program to No. 25 nationally. 
 
Texas A&M is doing it with a high-powered offense fueled partly by a turnover-generating defense. The Dustdevils are fourth in the nation in scoring at 83.6 points per game, launching 3-pointers with abandon (25.4 attempts per game, second in the LSC) and accuracy (32.1 percent, third in the LSC). 
 
The Dustdevils are third in the nation in turnovers forced per game (30.54) and steals per game (17.2), which gets the offense downhill the other way and helps generate its conference-leading 18.1 assists per game. The extra possessions and extra points from their shot diet are a math problem the Hilltoppers must solve. 
 
Senior Raiana Brown, the reigning LSC Offensive Player of the Week, is third in the conference in scoring at 17.6 points per game. She and Telisha Brown are fourth and first in the conference in steals per game. 
 
If St. Edward's can take care of the ball, Texas A&M International's defense can be vulnerable. The Dustdevils are merely 15th in field-goal percentage defense, allowing opponents to shoot 44.2 percent and 13th in scoring defense. 
 
The Hilltoppers have leaned into some two-point guard lineups, and players like AINSLEY THUNELL have shown a nice floor game in recent weeks to counter it. 
 
Texas A&M-Kingsville (4-8, 0-5)
 
Texas A&M-Kingsville has had an up-and-down season thus far. Including exhibitions, the Javlinas opened with five consecutive losses, followed by a four-game winning streak punctuated by a 62-48 victory over No. 12 Missouri Western State, and is currently in the middle of another five-game losing streak to open conference play. 
 
The Javelinas lean on judicious use of 3-pointers, ranking no. 11 in the conference in attempts, fourth in 3-pointers made, and first in 3-point percentage. 
 
Jayde Tschritter is a sniper behind the line and is third in the LSC in 3-point percentage (39.1), 3-pointers made (35), and 3-pointers per game (2.08). 
 
Shelby Ray leads the team with 12.8 points per game and nearly 50 percent shooting from the field, while Mia Rivers directs the offense with 4.8 assists per game on the third-best assist-to-turnover ratio in the league (2.20).