Box Score
CANYON, Texas — After an exciting victory in the first round of the NCAA Division II South Central Region Tournament, head coach
Jason Martens told the Rattlers they were a special group.
St. Mary's Women's Basketball pulled out a tremendous victory over Colorado State-Pueblo Friday night, advancing to the semifinals of the South Central Region Tournament with a 63-57 win.
The Rattlers face tournament host and No. 1 seed West Texas A&M in the semifinal round at 7:30 p.m. Saturday in Canyon, Texas.
For just the second time in the program's eight trips to the NCAA Regional Tournament, the Rattlers advanced to the round of 32 and is the first NCAA tournament win for Martens.
"I told the girls this group will always be special to me," said a visibly excited Martens after the win. "It's my first NCAA tournament win and for them to pull it out today was something special and something I'll always remember."
The Rattlers never trailed in the monumental win, banking on their six-point lead at the half, 28-22, as the ThunderWolves evened the scoring in the second half at 35-35.
It was a full-team effort in tying the furthest the program has ever gone before as three Rattlers broke double digits with freshman
Kiara Etheridge exploding on the boards.
Etheridge (San Antonio) led at the boards with an outstanding 16 rebounds while adding seven points.
Jackie Woods (Sr., San Antonio) led the night in scoring with 17, banking four 3's, followed by
Morgan Pullins (Jr., Franklin, Mich.) with 16 and
Dezirae Elias (So., Chandler, Ariz.) with 11.
The Rattlers started the game on an 11-2 run, setting the tone for the match and bolstered an 11-point lead with eight minutes left in the half.
The closest the ThunderWolves ever got to the Rattlers was when they tied it for the first and only time at 33-33 at the 9:35 mark in the second half but
Danielle Vargas silenced it with a statement three-pointer that again set the Rattlers above CSU-Pueblo, where they would stay for the remainder of the game.
The Rattlers' big win has granted them another big game Saturday, as they take on No. 1-seeded West Texas A&M, which will be accompanied by a large, home crowd.
"(West Texas A&M) is No. 1 in the region for a reason, they're top five in the country," said Martens of his next opponent. "They're a good team and it's going to be a great atmosphere. Any time you get to play in front of a couple thousand fans, it's doesn't get any better than that and we're going to enjoy it. We are going to savor it."
The Rattlers' NCAA tournament win improved their record to 20-9 on the season, marking the fifth season Martens has won 20 or more wins in eight years of head coaching.
If the Rattlers chart another victory Saturday to advance to the Sweet 16, it will be the furthest the program has gone before.
St. Mary's faces the Lady Buffs in the semifinal round at 7:30 p.m. Saturday in Canyon, Texas.
