GUNNISON, Colo. – St. Edward's played stifling first-half defense, but Western Colorado exploded with seven 3-pointers in the third quarter to defeat the Hilltoppers 60-44. 
 
St. Edward's struggled to find its rhythm in the first half. J.P. and BAILEY FEATHERSTONE found gaps in the defense off the dribble but couldn't connect on their midrange jumpers. The 3-pointers, crucial to creating space for ball handlers to work inside, missed their mark.
 
The Hilltoppers stayed in the game with impeccable half-court defense. St. Edward's neutralized all ball-screen actions by icing them, forcing the guard to reject the screen towards the baseline and showing help with the big. 
 
Like they've done all season, St. Edward's rotated swiftly behind their point-of-attack defense, forcing the pass over the top, closing out under control, and forcing the offense to reset against a dwindling shot clock. 
 
Western Colorado adjusted by attacking quickly in transition before the defense could set itself. The Mountaineers also utilized a few Horns sets, bringing both bigs up to the elbows and running misdirections to get ball handlers a few quick isolation opportunities. Rachel Cockman hit both her shots and Ivey Schmidt hit 3-of-4 from the free-throw line to give the Mountaineers a slight lead. 
 
JASMYN JACKSON sparked St. Edward's off the bench, moving into pockets of space in the halfcourt for a midrange jumper on a baseline out-of-bounds play and timing a cut perfectly off a KIANA BENNETT spin move for a layup and foul to keep the Hilltoppers within three at 15-12. 
 
Both teams struggled from the field in the second quarter, shooting under 30 percent and scoring 10 points each, giving Western Colorado a 25-22 lead at the half. 
 
Cockman led all scorers with eight points on 4-for-5 shooting. Jackson scored seven off the bench for St. Edward's, and RAMSEY ROBLEDO scored five. 
 
St. Edward's had a promising start to the second half, with a short jumper from Bennett, a pull-up jumper, and an offensive foul drawn by J.P. However, Western Colorado responded with a barrage of 3-pointers. The Mountaineers hit 3-pointers off the dribble when defenders stepped under screens, found space with off-ball screens, and hit skip passes to the corner. 
 
Western Colorado shot 7-for-9 from deep in the quarter, getting two 3-pointers each from Ivey Schmidt, Jayda Maves, and Jayde Tschritter, and another from Natalie Jojola, to outscored St. Edward's 23-14 in the quarter. 
 
Cockman kept St. Edward's at bay with seven points on four shots in the fourth, finishing with 15 points and 10 rebounds. Schmidt added 15 points, and Maves scored 11. J.P. led St. Edward's with 13 points, and Jackson contributed nine. 
 
St. Edward's falls to 3-6. The Hilltoppers will return to conference play on Dec. 5, hosting Sul Ross State at 5:30 p.m.