Women's Basketball Runs Into Hot Hand at TAMIU

LAREDO, Texas – Sometimes you have to tilt your hat in acknowledgment of a great performance by an opponent and Texas A&M International junior Raiana Brown broke the school single game scoring record with 39 points in a 72-58 win over St. Mary's Women's Basketball on Thursday night.
 
The Rattlers (6-13, 2-11 Lone Star) countered with three players scoring in double figures as freshman Gabby Elliott (San Antonio) scored 16, junior Teanna Huggins (San Antonio) tied her career-high with 14 points and junior Ariah Powell (Detroit, Mich.) chipped in 13 in her first start for the Gold & Blue. 
 
Sophomore Faith Phillips (San Marcos, Texas) came off the bench to lead the team with six rebounds and she added three assists, one off the team-high of four by Huggins. Powell had a game-high three steals and Elliott blocked two shots.
 
Brown led the Dustdevils (12-9, 5-8 LSC) in rebounds as well with seven, while Angelique Morgan collected a game-high seven assists.
 
Elliott and Powell combined for 21 of the team's 34 points in the first half, including a pair of free throws with 0.1 for Elliott after she was fouled on a desperation shot at the buzzer. Brown led all scorers with 22 points on 10-of-12 shooting. 
 
The Rattlers trailed 15-13 with 2:44 on the clock in the first quarter, but finished the quarter on an 8-0 run for the 21-15 advantage. The Dustdevils answered with an 8-0 run of their own early in the second quarter to take a one-point lead, 25-24, but Perkins hit back-to-back three-pointers to give the edge back to the Rattlers, 30-29 with 4:39 left. TAMIU scored six of the next eight before the Elliott free throws to have the scoreboard read 37-34 at the break.
 
The Dustdevils used a 12-5 run in the third quarter and eventually took a 12-point lead, 53-41, but the never-say-die Rattlers scored the final four points of the stanza to bring it back to eight, 53-45. Brown took over in the fourth quarter scoring 13 of the team's 19 points to lift the Dustdevils to the 72-58 win. Huggins scored eight in the final stanza to lead the Rattlers. 
 
St. Mary's travels to Kingsville on Saturday for a rematch with the Javelinas. Game time is set for 1 p.m. TAMUK defeated St. Edward's, 55-39 on Thursday evening.