Box Score
KINGSVILLE, Texas — Four games in to her college career, freshman
Kiara Etheridge is already cemented in the program's records.
Etheridge help fuel a gritty victory for St. Mary's Women's Basketball over Texas A&M-Kingsville Saturday, 65-62, in another standout performance from the freshman on the boards.
Etheridge (San Antonio) pulled in 18 rebounds against the Javalinas, which ties for No. 3 in the program's single-game rebounding record. Etheridge set the program's single-game rebounding record with 20 in just the second game of her Rattler career and now holds two of the top four rebounding performances in school history after Saturday.
The record-collecting Etheridge also chipped in eight points against the Javalinas and was just one highlight on an impressive stat sheet for the Rattlers.
Kyra Littlejohn (Jr., Southfield, Mich.) had a career showing at Hampton Inn Court, recording a career-best and team-high 18 points along with five assists and seven rebounds.
Jackie Woods (Sr., San Antonio) also tallied five assists and added 14 points, which included two 3-pointers.
Morgan Pullins (Jr., Franklin, Mich.) continued to make double-doubles the norm, recording her third on the season Saturday with 10 points and 10 rebounds.
St. Mary's had to fight for its victory against TAMUK as it went into the half three points down, 35-32. The Rattlers were able to push a 10-point lead in the second half but the Javalinas clawed back to bring it within one with 22 seconds remaining.
Littlejohn then brought home the victory, hitting two clutch free throws with 20 seconds on the clock to put the Rattlers up 65-62. The clutch shots at the line marked Littlejohn's eighth and ninth made free throws of the game.
The Javalinas fell to 2-2 on the season with both of their losses coming from the Rattlers while St. Mary's improved to 3-1 on the season.
The Rattlers will suit up for their first Heartland Conference game on the season at 7 p.m. Thursday against provisional conference member Oklahoma Christian at 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.rattlerathletics.com.
