Women's Hoops Hangs Tough Against Top Seed

FRISCO, Texas – The St. Mary's Women's Basketball team hung with top-seeded and 10^th-ranked Texas A&M Commerce throughout much of the third quarterfinal game at the Lone Star Conference Tournament on Thursday evening, but dropped a 70-60 decision to end its season with a 14-14 record.

The Rattlers were led by junior Hannah Wilson (Fredericksburg, Texas) with her 12^th double-double of the year. She scored 20 points and grabbed 12 rebounds to lead the game in both categories. Redshirt freshman Sydney Hardeman (Allen, Texas) was the other Rattler in double digits in scoring with 13. Wilson also tied her season high with three blocked shots – doing so for the second-straight contest and the fifth time in 2019-20.

Junior Soteria Banks (Round Rock, Texas) led the team with five assists, while senior Alexia Torres (San Antonio) added four assists and two steals. Junior Jessica Barbosa (Bissai, Guinea Bissai) also had two thefts.

The Rattlers shot 44.8 percent for the contest, 31.6 from the three-point line (6-for-19) and they were just 2-for-5 at the free throw line. The Lions (27-2) shot 40.3 percent from the field, 38.5 percent (5-for-13) from the arc and 60 percent at the charity stripe (15-for-25).

HOW IT HAPPENED
The teams traded baskets to the 8-8 tie when the Lions went on a 9-0 run for the 17-8 advantage. Torres snapped the streak with a jumper, but Commerce scored the final three of the quarter for the 20-10 lead.

The Lions scored the first four of the second stanza to push their lead to 14, 24-10. Wilson scored the next four points for the Rattlers and after two Commerce free throws, she hit another to make it a 10-point game, 26-16 with 5:42 left. The teams traded points to 30-20 when the Rattlers scored the final six of the half for the 30-26 tally.

The third quarter began as the second did, with the Lions scoring the first four, but the Rattlers answered with buckets by Wilson and Hardeman and the scoreboard read 34-30. After trading baskets, the Lions scored four straight to make the score 40-32 with 3:36 on the clock. A Wilson jumper was followed by four in a row by Commerce to push its lead back to 10, 44-34. Hardeman and Banks nailed back-to-back three's to end the quarter with the 44-40 score.

Commerce used an 11-0 run to begin the fourth quarter and take the 55-40 lead. Wilson stopped the streak with a free throw and the teams traded treys for the 58-44 tally. After a Lions layup, Hardeman hit another three-pointer. The Lions scored on another layup and the Rattlers went on a mini 5-0 run to cut it to 10, 62-52. The clubs went back-and-forth the remainder of the game for the 70-60 final.

TEAM & INDIVIDUAL PLAYER NOTES

• Hannah Wilson ended the season with her 12^th double-double of the season after scoring 20 points and grabbing 12 rebounds. Both totals were game highs.
• Sydney Hardeman scored in double figures for the second-straight game and the eighth time this season with 13 points.
• Alexia Torres ends her career with the Rattlers tied for eighth with 78 games started and seventh in career assists with 287.
• St. Mary's out-rebounded Texas A&M-Commerce 39-to-36. The Lions have been grabbing 11.3 rebounds per game more than their opponents – which is the best mark in the Lone Star Conference.
• Hannah Wilson recorded the 700^th rebound of her career and now has 702. She is one of only five players in St. Mary's history with 700 or more boards.

UP NEXT
Torres is the only senior to end her career on Thursday evening. The remainder of the Rattlers will return for the 2020-21 season.