AUSTIN, Texas — St. Edward's women's basketball spent the preseason exploring a roster flush with playmakers and shot. During Saturday's Homecoming exhibition, those possibilities began taking shape. 
 
J.P. Perkins picked up where she left off before an injury robbed her of last season, finding teammates in transition and the half-court. IZZY MAJARUCON kept the ball moving off the bench, directing the second unit with a floor general's command, and RAMSEY ROBLEDO continued to connect possessions with an extra pass. 
 
Together, they helped the Hilltoppers assist on 79 percent of their made baskets in a 72-51 victory over North American. 
 
J.P.'s return lets SUNI DAVIS take on the more off-ball role she's used to, dishing out six assists. Davis's experience running the show last year allows the Hilltoppers to alternate between playmakers seamlessly as a possession develops. Off the bench, Majarucon added four assists, getting the offense into its sets and its interior players in position to do damage. Overall, nine of the 10 Hilltoppers who got minutes recorded an assist. 
 
Center HANNAH BRISKEY was the primary beneficiary of so many playmakers, leading the Hilltoppers with 16 points on 5-for-9 shooting and six made free throws on six assists. JAE'LA HICKS added 11 points and seven rebounds in an increasingly multifaceted skill set, and Davis added 10, attacking the creases her backcourt partners created. 
 
The exhibition offered early proof of concept of the depth and versatility envisioned entering the season. St. Edward's set the starting point of attack from multiple spots on the court through a variety of different players, reading and reacting on the fly. The next step is sustaining those connections against regional opponents while converting on a few more of those open looks.
 
St. Edward's overcame a cold shooting night by working the glass. Iduzay Igiehon grabbed 10 rebounds off the bench, Briskey added eight, and reserve guard JASMINE MCKENZIE crashed the glass relentlessly for six offensive rebounds. The Hilltoppers finished with a 51-31 rebounding advantage and 15 second-chance points. 
 
They'll need a similar effort in the official season opener against a Black Hills State team whose success last season started on the glass and only got more physical from there. The Yellow Jackets finished 18-11 overall and 14-6 in Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference play, averaging 43.7 rebounds and outrebounding opponents by 12.7 per game. Their ability to finish defensive possessions helped limit opponents to 57.8 points per game. 
 
At any given time, all five players on the court can hit the glass, with guards rebounding like forwards. The Yellow Jackets run much of their offense through junior point guard Bradie Schlabs, who averaged 10.2 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 5.5 assists per game last season, with a deft all-around game that made up for efficiency that strained under the workload.
 
St. Edward's defense must contain Schlabs without overcommitting help that opens up her passing options or leaving the glass exposed for a team that feasts on the boards. 
 
On Saturday, South Dakota Mines is an unknown with enough shooting to make the unknown dangerous. Only four players return for coach Kyley Bachand, but one is reigning RMAC Freshman of the Year Addison Miranda, who averaged 9.3 points, made 67 3-pointers on 34.7 percent shooting, and hit 4-for-10 from deep against St. Edward's a year ago. 
 
Senior Carolina Ruiz Molina is Mines' most experienced returning playmaker, starting 23 of 28 games last year and scoring a season-high 18 points on 10 shots with four assists against the Hilltoppers.  
 
South Dakota Mines lost half its scoring and interior production from a year ago, but its four returners combined for 94-of-187 shooting from distance. The Hilltoppers withstood a blistering shooting performance in the first half from South Dakota Mines, then got a big fourth quarter from Davis with 27 points in 12 shots and four assists with only one turnover. 
This year, the Hilltoppers enter with more players capable of sharing those responsibilities. Opening weekend will offer the first measure of how well those pieces work together when the games begin to count.