Box Score
WICHITA, Kan. — The last time the Lady Rattlers exited Newman University's court last season, it was with heads low as they were eliminated from the Heartland Conference tournament.
After the buzzer sounded Saturday, however, the Jets got their fill of the Rattlers this time.
In its first overtime of the season, St. Mary's (12-3, 5-0 in conference) took extra play to topple over the Jets (5-10, 0-3 in conference) in a come-from-behind victory, 68-58.
The game was of unusual sorts for the Rattlers, whose flashy and sharp shooting have given them six blowouts on the season and an undefeated league record. Saturday, the bunch shot an uncharacteristic 24 percent from the field, scoring just 17 points in the first half.
But it is St. Mary's.
The Rattlers began to creep on the Jets, finding their shot again to outscore Newman in the second and doubling their own points from the first. Forced into overtime, the Rattlers all but forgot their shaky beginning to tally 19 points in 10 minutes to it win without Newman having a chance to claw back, 68-58.
Felicia Jacobs (Sr., San Antonio) was the leader for the Rattlers, scoring a team-high 16 points while pulling in 10 rebounds for her fourth double-double on the season. Morgan Pullins (So., Franklin, Mich.) brought in a career-high 19 rebounds, tying the record for the most rebounds in a single game, sitting now along with former Rattler and current graduate assistant Kristen Williams. Pullins also totaled 12 points, joining Jacobs in her double-double.
Jackie Woods (Jr., San Antonio) was prominent, scoring 15 points followed by Mariah Lee (Jr., Houston) with 11 points. Liz Boyd (Sr., San Antonio) nearly had her own double-double with nine points and nine rebounds, all defensively.
St. Mary's trailed 28-17 at the break. The Lady Rattlers trailed the entire second half before tying the game at 39-39 on Lee's free throw with 3:58 remaining in regulation. Woods' 3-pointer moments later gave them their first lead at 42-41, while a pair of Newman free throws with one second remaining forced overtime.
It was all St. Mary's from there.
Continuing to tally their wins, the Rattlers' first conference road trip resulted in two victories, proving their success isn't confined to Bill Greehey Arena. At 5-0, they sit firmly atop the league standings.
Rattler fans will get their chance to see the undefeated Heartland Conference Lady Rattlers Thursday against rival St. Edward's, which ranks No. 2 in the league at 2-0. Tipoff is set for 5:30 p.m. in Bill Greehey Arena.
St. Mary's University, as a Catholic Marianist University, fosters the formation of people in faith and educates leaders for the common good through community service, integrated liberal arts and professional education, and academic excellence. The University has six athletic national titles: men's basketball (1989–NAIA), baseball (2001–NCAA Div. II), softball (1986–NAIA and 2002–NCAA Div. II) and an individual national champion in men's golf (2006–NCAA Div. II) and a national academic championship in men's golf (2009–NCAA Div. II). St. Mary's also had more than 40 percent of its athletes named to conference, regional and/or national honor rolls this past year. St. Mary's student–athletes graduation rate is 65 percent, higher than the NCAA Division II average of 55 percent. To learn more about St. Mary's, visit www.stmarytx.edu/athletics.
